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Journeys  and  Experiences 


in 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

Including  a  side  trip  to  the  source  of  the  Paraguay  River 

in  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  Brazil,  and  a  journey 

across  the  Andes  to  the  Rio  Tambo  in  Peru 


By 

Henry  Stephen: 

Harvard,  A.  B.,  Vienna,   Fh.D 


FIRST    EDITION 


Ube  Iknicl^erbockcr  ipress 

New  York 
1920 


Copyright 

BY 

HENRY  STEPHENS 
1920 


tr 
i 


TO 

MR.  H.   L.   MENCKEN,   OF   BALTIMORE,   MARYLAND 

WHO  IS  CONSIDERED  TO  BE  AMERICA'S  FOREMOST  CRITIC 

OF  LITERATURE  I  GLADLY  DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK  OF  TRAVELS 


4  ^0*1>*^*-N< 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    I 

PAGE 

Montevideo     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  i 

Experience  in  landing.  Population  of  the  city.  Conservative- 
ness  of  the  inhabitants.  Gambling  establishment  at  Playa 
Ramirez.     Train  ride  to  Colonia. 

CHAPTER   H 

Buenos  Aires  .  .  .  .  .  .  .21 

Population  of  the  city.  Streets  and  architecture.  High  cost  of 
living.  Hotels.  Beverages.  Street  beggars  and  vagabonds. 
Mariano  Moreno  College.  Habit  of  not  bathing.  Jews.  La 
Plata. 

chapter  hi 
San  Luis  .......  .62 

Appearance  of  the  city.  Capitol.  Plazas.  Hotels.  Neigh- 
boring country.  Character  of  the  natives.  Train  ride  to 
Mendoza. 

CHAPTER    IV 

Mendoza  .....  .  .  .78 

Viticulture.  Fruitgrowing.  Wheat.  Population  and  appear- 
ance of  the  city.  Earthquake  of  i86r.  Cerrito  de  la  Gloria. 
Hotels.  Aconcagua.  Cacheuta.  Across  the  Andes.  Ar- 
rival in  town  of  Los  Andes. 

CHAPTER    V 

Salta  and  Tucuman  ......      lOI 

Train  ride  to  Salta.  Lerma  Valley.  Province  of  Salta.  Chu- 
chu  fever.  Population  of  the  city  of  Salta.  20th  of 
February  Clul).     Churches  and  San   Francisco  Monastery. 


vi  Contents 


Population  ol  the  city  of  Tucuman.  Caj)ilol.  Governor 
Padilla.  Heat  of  the  city.  Hotel  Savoy.  Kirwin  the 
photographer.     \'illa  Nougues. 


CHAPTER    VI 
Cordoba  .  .  .....      130 

Province  ot  Cordoba.  Description  of  the  city  oi  Cordoba. 
Great  number  of  consumptives.  Breweries.  Streets,  reli- 
gious edifices,  and  hotels.  Sierra  de  Cordoba.  Cosquin. 
Locust  pest.      Rosario;  its  hotels.       Pergamino.       Mercedes. 

CHAPTER    VH 

Asuncion       "    .         .  .  .         .  .  .  155 

Train  ride  from  Buenos  Aires.  Population  of  Paraguayan  dis- 
tricts and  towns.  Don  Eduardo  Schaerer.  Currency.  Colon- 
nades. Pavement  of  Asuncion's  streets.  Oratory  of  Lo- 
pez. Climate,  rains,  and  reptiles.  Madame  Lynch.  Hotels. 
Alangrullo  Cemetery.  Market-place.  Cigars.  Low  cost  of 
living.      Asuncene  womanhood.      Unmorality.     Ypacara-i. 

CHAPTER    VIII 

To   1  HI-:  Source  of  the   Par.u;uay   Rivi:r  it)5 

River  scenery.  \'illa  Concepcion.  vSan  Salvador.  State  of 
Matto  Grosso.  Corumba.  Lawlessness.  By  water  to 
Cuyaba.  City  of  Cuyaba.  Hubcr.  Detour  to  source  of 
river.  Bog  and  pool.  Huber  becomes  ill;  his  death.  Dia- 
mantino.       Return  to  Buenos  Aires  bv  river.       Yerba  mate. 


CHAPTER    IX 
Santl\(;o  ........      226 

Republic  of  Chile.  Central  \'alle\'.  Longitudinal  railways. 
Paucity  of  factories.  Breweries.  The  Chileno.  Illegiti- 
macy. Fiesta  of  the  Angelito.  Reception  in  Santiago. 
Compactness  of  the  city;  its  streets.  Installation  of  the 
])resident.  Military  parade.  American  aml^assador.  Ho- 
tels.    High  death  rate.     General  Cemetery.     Apoquindo. 


Contents  vii 


CHAPTER    X 

Baths  of  Cauquexes.    Chiloe  Island.     Lake  Xahuel 
HuAPi  ........      263 

Rancagua.  Baths  of  Cauquenes.  Hostelry.  Horseback  ride 
to  Los  Lirios.  Linares.  Panimavida.  Araucania  and  its 
native  inhabitants.  Temuco.  Valdivia.  Osorno.  Fire  at 
Osorno.  Ancud.  Castro.  Lake  Llanquihue.  El  Tronador 
Puella.  Puerto  Blest.  Lake  Xahuel  Huapi.  San  Carlos 
de  Bariloche. 

CHAPTER    XI 

Chillax.     Ascent  of  the  Volcano  Chilean    .  .      312 

Description  of  the  city.  Hotel  de  France.  Earthcjuake. 
Chilian  Viejo.  Birthplace  of  O  'Hig.s:ins.  Journey  to  Las 
Termas  de  Chilian.  Establishment  of  Las  Termas.  Gam- 
bling. Episode  of  the  administrator's  brother.  Snowfields 
and  glaciers.  Eruption  of  volcano.  Don  Vicente  Mendez 
U.      Curicrj. 

CHAPTER    XH 

Northward    to    Antofagasta    by    Rail.     Copiapo. 

Antofagasta,  and  Iquique       ....        347 

Creenberg's  adventure.  San  Felipe.  Jahuel.  Palm  groves. 
Choapa  Valley.  lUapel.  La  Serena.  Vallenar.  Oasis  of 
Copiapo.  Retrogressant  provincial  capital.  Professor 
Platner.  Desert.  Prosperit}^  of  Antofagasta.  Strict  pro- 
hibition laws.  Bubonic  plague.  Pestilential  Tocopilla. 
Description  of  Iquique. 

CHAPTER    Xni 

Arica  to  Ilo  Overland,  via  Tacna,  Tarata,  and  Mo- 

quegua.     Mollendo  .....      387 

Dr.  Petit.  Morro  of  Arica.  Dispute  between  Chile  and  Peru 
over  Tacna  and  Arica.  Architect  Pitaud.  Description 
of  Tacna.  Peculiar  architecture.  Hotel  Raiteri.  Don  San- 
tiago Carmona.  Caplina  Valley.  Ascending  the  Andes, 
Tarata.  Parish  priest.  Tales  of  buried  treasure.  Hacienda 
Carmona.    Ticalco  and  Sama  Valleys.     Stupidity  of  Peruvian 


viii  Contents 


jefe  politico.  llabaya.  Dishonest  cholo  and  Prat's  spree. 
Don  Jose  Vergara.  Moqucgua.  Ilo.  Stinking  Mollendo. 
Arrival  at  Callao. 

CHAPTER    XIV 

Lima •  •     434 

Architecture  of  Callao.  Mixed  population  of  Lima  and  its 
seaport.  Origin  of  Lima.  Rimac  River.  Interesting  city. 
Its  population.  Confusion  of  street  names.  Concepcion 
Market.  Religious  edifices  and  procession  of  El  Milagro. 
Hotels  and  cafes.  Difficulty  in  getting  money  changed. 
Crookedness  of  postoffice  officials.  General  Cemetery. 
Viceroys  of  Peru. 

CHAPTER    XV 

Across  the  Cordillera  to  the  Rio  Tambo         .  .      470 

Departure  from  Oroya.  Across  the  Cumbre.  Tarma.  Valley 
of  the  Rio  Palca.  Huacapistana.  Tropical  vegetation. 
Swinging  bridges.  San  Ramon.  La  Merced  and  the  Chan- 
chamayo  River.  Chuncho,  Campas,  and  Cashibo  Indians. 
Perene  Colony.  Down  the  Ucayali.  Iquitos.  Head  hunt- 
ing Indians. 

CHAPTER    XVI 

Business   Prospects   in   Argentina,    Paraguay,  and 

Chile         ........     496 

Knowledge  of  Spanish  and  of  the  Latin  character  a  necessity. 
Companies  should  be  fully  capitalized.  Wheat  belt  of  Ar- 
gentina. Argentina  poor  in  fuel  and  in  minerals.  Zona  del 
Riego.  Flour  mills  and  beef  canning  factories.  Stock  raising 
and  great  ranches.  Tannic  acid  factories.  Grafting  politicians. 
Breweries  and  sugar  mills.  Yerba  mate  industry  in  Para- 
guay. Bright  outlook  for  Chile.  Topography  of  the  coun- 
try. Nitrate,  minerals,  and  viticulture.  Breweries.  Enamel 
works.       Railroads  of  Chile.       Great   need   of  good  hotels. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Henry  Stephens,  Ph.D. 

Locust  Pest  in  Argentina 

Snow  in  the  Tropics 

Reflection  of  Aconcagua  in  the  Clouds  above  Val- 
paraiso     .....  Frontispieces 

Colonia,  Uruguay           ......  19 

Congress  Building,  Buenos  Aires           ...  23 

Buenos  Aires  Types        ......  25 

AvENiDA  DE  Mayo,  Buenos  Aires   ....  27 

Mr.  Oliver  H.  Lane       ......  29 

Calle  Bartolome  Mitre.  Buenos  Aires          .          .  31 

Fireman  and  Policeman,  Buenos  Aires  .                   .  33 

Zoological  Garden,  Buenos  Aires                             .  35 

Scene  on  the  River  at  Tigre        .  .  -53 

Station  of  the  Southern  Railway,  La  Plata        .  55 

Old  Railway  Station,  La  Plata     ....  56 

Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation,  La  Plata    .          .  57 

Bank  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  La  Plata  58 

Allegorical  Statue  of  La  Plata          •         •          •  59 


X  Illustrations 


PAGE 


Unfinished  Catuidrai..   La  Plata  .          .          .          .  6o 

Plaza  San   Martin.   Ml:rc1':dI':s  .  .  .63 

Stri;i;i    in  San  Luis          ......  65 

B.\NK  OF   ihl:  Ar(;|';ntin1';  Nation,  San  Luis     .          .  66 

Capitol,  San  Luis  .......  68 

]\L\iRi/  Cm  Rcii,  San  Luis        .....  70 

Estancia  near  San  Luis          .....  73 

Statue  of  San  ]\L\rtin,  Mendoz.v  ...  84 

Avi'NiDA  San  ^Lkrtin,  AIendoza       ....  85 

Monument  to  the  Army  of  the  Andes,  Mendoza  89 

Waiting  for  thiv  Train  at  Cacheuta     ...  94 

On  the  Terr.ue  at  Cacheuta         ....  95 

Thermal  Establisham^nt  at  Cac  hicuta    ...  97 

One  of  the  Dinersions  at  Cachi':uta  that  is  neither 

Bathin<;  nor  Gamblinc.     .....  98 

Stl:i's    at    Cachelita    Leadin(.    ikom     rni-:    Rau.roai) 

Station  to  the  Hotel  99 

Guemes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .107 

Cathicdral  .\M)   hisiioi-'s   Pal.\(T-:,   S.vlia             .  loc) 

ToMK  in  CiiMLyncRv,  S.vlt.\        .  .113 

CallI';  Mitre,  Salta         .                              .                    ,  1  if) 

Capitol,  Tuuuman  .  .  .  .  .121 

Calli-;  L.m'rida,  Tr(  u\l\n          .....  12^ 

RicsiDiCNCE  oi-    Dr.  Juan  C.   Noiuiues,  San   Pahh)    .  127 

counirn    iiousic  at  villa  nouc.ues  i28 

N()riiii:rn   AL\rkii.  C(')ri)()I!.\            ....  133 


Illustrations  xi 

PAGE 

Cathedral  of  Cordoba  .                             .          .  137 

Residence  of  Martin  Ferreyra.  Cordoba      .  138 

Church  of  Santa  Teresa,  Cordoba         .          .  139 

Zoological  Garden,  Cordoba  ....      141 

Corner  of  Plaza  San  Martin,  Cordoba          .  142 

BRiDiiE  ON  Road  to  Dique  San  Roque             .  .      144 

Courthouse,  Rosario       .          .          .          .          .'  .      147 

Street  vScene,  Rosario   ......      148 

Plaza  25  de  Mayo,  Rosario   .                    .          .  .149 

Street  Scene,  Rosario   .          .                    .          .  150 

Calle  San  Nicolas,  Pergamino       .          .          .  151 

Plaza  2^  de  May'o,  Pergamino        .          .          .  152 

Street  in  Mercedes        .          .          .                   .  153 

Scene  from  Railroad  Station  at  Villa  Rica  162 

Casa  de  Gobierno,  or  Capitol,  Asuncion       .  167 

DRA\viN(i  Showing  Construction  of  Colonnades  on 

A  Par.\guayan  Building   .  .  .  .  .170 

Cabildo,  or  City  Hall,  Asuncion  .  171 

Plazoleta  del  Puerto,  Asuncion   .  .  .  .172 

Calle  Palm  as,  Asuncion          .          .  .  .  173 

Calle  15  de  Agosto,  Asuncion        .  .  .  174 

Street  Scene,  Outskirts  of  Asuncion  .  .  175 

Mangrullo  Cemetery,  Asuncion    .  .  .  .184 

Street  Scene,  Cuyaba    ......     205 

Street  Scene,  Outskirts  of  Cuyaba  .  .  .     206 


xii  Illustrations 


PAGE 


Source  oi'   riii':  P.\KA(;rAv   Ri\ek      ....  213 

HorsE  IX  Di.\M.\N  riNo  wiiicke  Huhi^r   Died                .  220 

DiAc.RAM  Showing  Idea  of  Central  Valley  of  Chile 
IN  Rel.\tionship  to  the  Andes  Mountains  and 

THE  Coast  Range,  \\TTH  Course  OF  Stri:ams           .  227 

Sceni-:rv,  Central  Valli>:v  of  Chili:                  .          .  229 

Village  Scene.  Centr.vl  Chile        ....  230 

Thi-;  V.\li)I\'i.\   BrI';\\  i<:rii:s  C()Ml•\\^,    \'\i,i)i\ia            .  233 

Santa  Lucia  Hill,  SAxriAcio   .....  239 

CiENERAL  View  of  Santiago  fro.m  S.\ni.\  I>i  (  l\  Hill  241 

Alameda,  Santiago           ......  242 

CaLLE    HuERFANOS,    SANTLUiO     .....  243 

Modern  Residence  on  the  Ala.\ii:i)A,  Santiago       .  244 

Calle  Ejercito  Liberador.   Santiago       .           .           .  245 

Fountain  in  Santi.vgo     ......  247 

President  Don  Juan  Luis  S.vnmi-;nti:s  oi"  Chili-:  w  ith 

Cabinet    ........  248 

Monument  of  Don  Pedro  Montt,  Ce.\ii:nti:kio  |i:n- 

eral,  Santia(;o           ....  -'49 

View    Lookin(.    West    on    Comrania    Street    irom 

EsTADo  Ai   Tin:  Pla/a   I)i:  Armas.  Santiago         .  251 

Catiii:dral  Street,  Santiacio            ....  252 

ALxpocHo  River  near  Sanitacjo        ....  256 

Strei:t  in  Nunoa,  CiiilI'           .....  261 

Plaza  ( )'IIi(i(;iNs,   Ranca(;ua    .....  264 

Calli-:  Hresil,  Ranca(;ua          .....  265 


Illustrations  xiii 


I'AGE 


Stki<:i:i'   in   Raxcacjua         ......  266 

GoRGi':  OF  THE  Cachafoal  xv  Banos  di<:  Cauquenks  268 

Maix  Street  of  Linares          .....  277 

Panimavida      .......  278 

BrID(;E    over    the    ]\lALLIi(  O    KlVliR    Al'    C^-OLLII'ULLI  283 

Street  ix  Temuco  .......  287 

Plaza  de  la  Repuhlic.x,   \'.vi.i)i\  i.v  289 

Calle-Calle    River    at    A\\li)i\ia,    Showixo    P^lour 

Mills        ........  291 

Street  ix  Valdivia          ....  292 

RiNiHUE  Landscape,  Southerx  C^hili';  293 

OsoRXO    .........  295 

Scenery  ox  the   RAii.RtJAD     Hi'rrwiiEN     OsoRxt)    ,vxd 

Puerto  Montt           ......  297 

Indiax  Belles,  Chiloe  Island,  Chili':  301 

LakI':  Todos  Santos  from    P|':troiiui':  304 

Puella    ......  306 

El  Troxador,  Chile        ......  308 

Sax  Carlos  de  Bariloche        .  311 

Plaza  O'Hkioixs,  Chillax        .....  314 

Calle  Roble,   Chillax,   Lookixc,  East   from   Calle 

Arauco                          .  315 

Street  ix  Chillax  .......  316 

Market  Place,  Chillax           .....  317 

Scene  at  the  Station  at  Pinto      ...  322 

Post  Station  at  La  Dehesa  .....  323 


XIV 


Illustrations 


H.\F^vi:sTiN(}  Scene  at  La  Dehesa   . 

Mountain  in  the  Renec.ado  Canyon,  Chile 

Corral  of  Las  Trancas 

Forest  in  thi-:  Provinci-:  of  Nuble,  Chile 

Scicnf:  on  the  Road  to  Termas  de  Chilean 

Termas  de  Chilean  .... 

Casuchas  at  Termas  de  Chilean    . 

Mr.  Henry  Stephens      .... 

Mr.  Hugo  Gumprecht     .... 

View  towards  the  Argentine  Frontier  from  the 
Slopes  of  Volcano  Chilean     .... 

Glacier  Covered  with  Fresh  Snow  on  thI':  Volcano 

Rim   of  the   Crater   of   Volcano   Chill.vn    During 
Eruption  ....... 

Snow  Fields  of  Volcano  Chill.Vn 

From  thi-:  Slopes  of  Volcano  Chilean   . 

Sa\i:dra,  Gumprecht,  and  Prat  on  Lava  Fields  of 
Volcano  Chilean      ...... 

Mountain  Scenery  and  Waterfall  at  I>as  Trancas 

Church  in  San  Felipe    .... 

City  Hall,  San  Felipe  .... 

Street  in  San  Felipe      .... 

Stri-:i>:t  in  AlmI';ndra/.      .... 

Jauuel    ....... 

OcoA        ....... 


324 
325 
326 

327 

328 

329 
330 
333 
333 

334 

335 

337 
337 
339 

339 
343 
348 
349 
352 
333 
356 
359 


Illustrations  xv 


PAGE 


Street  in  Vallenak         ......  362 

Alameda  in  Copiapo        ......  363 

Monument  Erected  in  Honor  of  Atacama's  Illus- 
trious Dead,  Copiapo       .....  364 

Main  Street  of  Copiapo         .....  365 

Main  Street  of  Copiapo         .....  366 

Outskirts  of  Copiapo     ......  367 

Hovels  on  the  Outskirts  of  Copiapo    .          .          .  368 

Cemetery,  Copiapo           ......  369 

Plaza  Colon,  Antofagasta     .....  374 

Provincial  Capitol  Building,  Antofagasta    .          .  375 

Street  in  Antofagasta  ......  377 

Street  in  Tocopilla        ......  380 

Cemeteries  at  Tocopilla         .....  382 

Street  in  Iquique            ......  384 

Street  in  Iquique            ......  385 

Cemetery,  Iquique           ......  386 

Custom  House,  Arica      .          .         .         .         .         .  ■  388 

Street  in  Arica      .          .       '  .          .          .         .          .  389 

Capitol  Building  at  Tacna    .....  392 

Street  in  Tacna  Showing;  Earthquake  Proof  Houses  393 

Calle  Bolivar,  Tacna    ......  394 

Fountain  in  Tacna          ......  395 

Unfinished  Cathedral  in  T.\cna    ....  396 

Style  of  Tacna  Architecture         ....  397 


XVI 


Illustrations 


Old  Ri:sidknck,  Tacna 

Strkict  in  Tacna     . 

Callk  MiLLiiR.  Tacna 

Alameda,  Tacna 

Street  in  Tarata   . 

Street  in   Ilabaya.   Peru 

Alameda,  Moquegua 

Street  in  Moquegua 

Street  in  Moquegua 

Callao  ?Iarbor 

Puente  Vieja,  Lima,  as  Seen  from 
RiMAC         .... 


THE  Bed  of  the 


Calle  Huallaga,  Lima    . 

Plaza  Lfalia,  Lima.      Vendors  of  Bri:ad 

Plazuela  de  la  Inquiskton,   Linen 

Boulevard  in  Lima  ...... 

FAgADi-:  OF  San  Augustin  Church.   Iam.\ 

Procession  of  the  Milagro.   Lima  .... 

Cercado  Church,  Lima   ...... 

Tomb  of  the  GoyenechI':  P'^amilv,  in  thic  Gi'Nerai. 
Cemetery,  Lima         ...... 

Mr.  Kuri    \V.\LDi';M.\K   Linn  oh    .Xi'.w    ^'oRK 

Mr.  Linn  oi'  Ni':\v  York  Risin(.  our  oh  hie  Tomb 
Erecti:d  in  Honor  ok  vwi:  Peruvlvn  Heroes  of 
nil':  Pacific  War,   iSjq-iSSj      .... 

Corpse  Bearer,  General  Cicmeti.rv,   Linl\ 


398 

399 
400 

401 
406 

423 
426 
428 
429 
435 

43^"^ 
440 

441 
44^ 
444 
447 
449 
460 

461 
462 

463 
464 


Illustrations 


XVll 

PAGE 


Putting  a  Coffin  into  a  Niche,  General  Cemetery, 

Lima  ........     465 


Llamas  at  Casapalca      .... 

Tarma,  Peru  ...... 

Cemetery,  Tarma   ..... 

Argentine  Plazas.    Plate  No.  I 
Argentine  Plazas.    Plate  No.  II   . 
Chilean  Plazas.    Plate  No.  Ill      . 
Map  Showing  Route  Taken  by  Author. 


474 
477 
479 
521 
523 
525 
At  End 


Journeys  and  Experiences  in 
Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 


CHAPTER  I 

MONTEVIDEO 


In  my  former  book,  South  American  Travels,  I  made  a 
statement  relative  to  the  pronunciation  of  the  word 
"Montevideo"  as  follows:  "Many  foreigners  make  the 
mistake  of  pronouncing  the  name  of  the  city  with  the 
accent  on  its  penultima  'e'.  Each  syllable  should  be  pro- 
nounced alike,  with  no  distinction  made  as  onto  which 
syllable  the  accent  falls."  I  have  since  found  out  that  I 
was  wrong,  and  am  convinced  so  by  my  losing  a  ten-dollar 
bet  with  a  gentleman  relative  to  the  pronunciation  of  the 
Uruguayan  metropolis.  Montevideo  has  its  accent  on  the 
penultima.  The  word  is  derived  from  the  Latin  "  Alon- 
tem  video''  the  final  m  in  montem  having  been  dropped 
to  facilitate  pronunciation.  Its  site  was  first  discovered 
by  Magellan  in  1520,  and  as  the  493  feet  high  dun -colored 
cerro,  which  dominates  the  western  side  of  the  harbor 
on  whose  shores  the  city  is  now  built,  appeared  on  the 
occidental  horizon,  somebody  at  the  bow  of  the  ship  yelled 
out,  "Montem  video"  ("I  see  a  mountain"),  which  words 
gave  the  city  its  present  name.  It  can  be  safely  assumed 
that  the  man  at  the  bow  who  uttered  the  Latin  exclama- 


2  Journeys  and  Experiences 

tion  was  a  priest  or  a  friar  because  who  amongst  a  crew  of 
sailors  and  adventurers  would  have  a  knowledge  of  Latin 
unless  it  was  a  man  who  had  taken  Holy  Orders""  The 
Spaniards  and  Portuguese  in  those  days  never  embarked 
on  any  expedition  without  taking  some  of  these  gentry 
along. 

Montevideo  is  sometimes  called  "Queen  of  La  Plata" 
on  account  of  its  cleanliness,  haughty  reserve,  and  aristo- 
cratic appearance;  more  often  has  it  been  styled  "Modern 
Troy"  due  to  decades  of  internecine  strife,  anarchy, 
revolutions,  and  a  Ten  Years'  War.  Now  that  there  has 
been  quietude  for  several  years,  with  prospects  of  con- 
tinued peace,  it  is  unfair  to  its  inhabitants  to  liken  it 
to  the  prehistoric  city  at  the  southeastern  end  of  the 
Hellespont. 

Several  times  during  the  years  1915  and  1916,  I  visited 
Montevideo,  having  made  occasional  trips  from  Buenos 
Aires,  but  an  episode  connected  with  my  last  advent  on 
Uruguayan  shores  will  take  an  indefinitely  long  time  to 
erase  it  from  my  memory.     It  was  like  this: 

On  February  17,  19 16,  I  had  embarked  on  the  Lamport 
&  Holt  steamship  Vestris  at  La  Plata  for  Montevideo  to 
bid  farewell  to  friends  returning  to  the  United  States.  The 
steamer  was  scheduled  to  sail  from  Montevideo  at  2  p.m. 
the  next  day. 

When  that  time  came  I  was  in  the  dining  room,  and  was 
so  engrossed  in  a  conversation  that  appealed  to  me  that 
I  never  heard  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  blowing  of 
whistles  that  denote  that  an  ocean  leviathan  is  about  to 
get  under  way.  Suddenly  an  acquaintance,  Mr.  Lynn  B. 
Packer  of  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  ran  into  the  dining  room  calling 
out:  "The  ship  is  in  motion,  Stephens,  we  are  in  for  it!" 
We  both  ran  up  the  stairs  and  onto  the  deck.  True 
enough,  the  Vestris  was  sailing  but  at  a  snail's  pace,  and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile       3 

the  anchor  was  being  pulled  up.  The  lighter  containing 
the  visitors  had  left  and  was  now  but  a  black  speck  behind 
the  breakwater.  Not  even  a  fishing  boat  was  in  sight. 
We  ran  to  the  port  side,  and  saw  a  few  hundred  feet  away 
a  rowboat  in  which  were  two  men  pulling  away.  We 
yelled  to  them  and  waved  our  handkerchiefs ;  they  stopped. 
We  took  off  our  coats  and  waved  them  also;  they  swung 
their  rowboat  around  and  rowed  back  towards  us.  A 
steward  and  a  couple  of  sailors  got  a  rope-ladder  which 
they  hung  over  the  railing  of  the  deck,  and  down  this 
Packer  and  myself  clambered,  and  jumped  into  the  row- 
boat  which  had  now  reached  the  sides  of  the  Vestris. 
The  two  men  of  the  rowboat  now  pulled  out  to  let  the 
ocean  liner  pass  by,  so  as  not  to  get  caught  in  the  vortex 
of  water  caused  by  the  propellers. 

The  sea  was  rough ;  a  leaden  sky  cast  a  gloomy  canopy 
over  the  leaden  w^ater;  to  the  left  rose  the  dun-colored 
cerro  crowned  by  its  prison  and  lighthouse.  In  the  back- 
ground nearly  two  miles  away,  seemed  to  rise  in  tiers,  the 
somber  buildings  of  drab  Montevideo,  the  twin  towers 
of  the  cathedral,  the  Gothic  steeple  of  a  church,  and  a 
large  rectangular  pile  at  the  water's  edge,  which  was 
formerly  the  university,  being  silhouetted  against  the  sky 
line.  Black  hulls  of  ships,  merchantmen,  and  freighters 
flying  the  flags  of  most  civilized  nations,  besides  the 
interned  German  ships  of  the  Kosmos  Line,  dotted  the 
harbor  and  the  open  sea  outside  of  the  breakwater,  but  we 
were  at  least  half  a  mile  from  the  nearest  one  of  them. 

We  now  began  to  size  up  the  two  boatmen.  They  were 
a  villainous  looking  pair.  The  one  who  acted  as  the  boss 
was  an  undersized  man  about  thirty-five  years  old.  He 
wore  a  black  moustache,  and  about  two  weeks  stubble  of 
beard.  His  hair  was  unkempt,  and  white  mucus  had 
collected  at  the  comers  of  his  mouth  and  eyes.     He  stunk 


4  Journeys  and  Experiences 

of  garlic,  and  his  clothes  were  dirty  and  greasy.  His 
companion  was  a  tall  and  slender  man,  a  few  years  his 
junior.  His  appearance  was  likewise  unkempt,  although 
his  long  face,  covered  with  pimples,  was  clean  shaven, 
except  for  an  occasional  straggling  whisker  on  his  chin 
which  his  razor  had  overlooked. 

The  boss  boatman,  knowing  me  to  be  a  North  American, 
attempted  to  converse  with  me  in  English,  but  his  knowl- 
edge of  that  tongue  was  so  execrable  that  he  soon  had 
to  desist;  he  knew  but  a  few  words  of  Spanish.  By  mix- 
ing lingoes  we  made  ourselves  understood  and  he  informed 
me  that  he  was  a  resident  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  of  which  city 
he  was  a  native,  and  that  he  was  at  present  employed  as  a 
doctor  on  a  Brazilian  passenger  ship  in  Montevideo,  and 
that  his  regular  trips  were  from  Manaos  on  the  Amazon 
to  Montevideo,  touching  at  all  the  seaports;  his  comrade, 
he  informed  me,  was  a  Paulista  and  was  the  Marconi  oper- 
ator on  the  same  ship.  Both  had  been  making  a  visit 
to  the  different  ships  now  anchored  in  Montevideo  harbor, 
having  had  chats  with  the  doctors  and  Marconi-men  of 
said  ships,  and  were  returning  to  their  own  vessel  when 
hailed  by  us. 

This  yarn  I  refused  to  believe,  for  no  man  that  I  had 
ever  seen  had  a  more  unmedical  appearance  than  the  boss 
boatman ;  moreover  instead  of  attempting  to  row  us  to  the 
docks,  both  men  were  rowing  towards  the  Brazilian  vessel, 
which  wc  were  approaching,  and  which  belied  its  title 
of  a  passenger  ship,  having  more  the  appearance  of  a 
freighter.  The  sea,  as  I  said,  was  rough,  and  I  yelled  to 
the  boatmen  to  swing  around  as  I  had  no  desire  to  be 
carried  into  the  South  Atlantic  in  an  open  boat;  my  mis- 
givings were  not  so  much  on  account  of  the  elements,  as 
for  the  thought  that  I  became  obsessed  with,  namely  that 
these  two  vagabonds  were  trying  to  shanghai  us,  endeavor- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile      5 

ing  to  get  us  aboard  the  Brazilian  ship.  Alontevideo, 
Valparaiso,  and  Callao  are  noted  as  tough  ports,  where 
shanghaiing  is  rife,  and  many  of  these  stories  were  brought 
to  my  mind.  To  Packer,  who  lay  reposing  in  the  stern, 
I  told  my  doubts.  He  replied  that  he  had  been  thinking 
the  same  thing  for  some  time.  I  told  him  the  best  thing 
for  us  to  do  would  be  to  ask  for  the  oars  so  that  we  could 
row  back  to  shore  ourselves;  in  case  the  boatmen  refused, 
to  rush  them,  and  lay  them  out.  He  said  he  was  game  for 
a  fight  but  refused  to  row,  giving  some  excuse  which  I 
interpreted  in  meaning  that  he  was  too  lazy.  I  had 
nothing  but  a  pocket  knife  with  me,  and  in  case  of  a  fight, 
meant  to  plant  the  blade  in  some  vulnerable  spot  in  the 
anatom}'  of  the  boss  boatman,  whom  I  took  to  be  the  boss 
villain. 

We  had  gradually  been  drifting  out  in  the  open  sea, 
and  the  waves  were  becoming  rougher.  These  were  also 
unpleasant  thoughts,  especially  since  during  the  last  few 
minutes  the  Brazilians  had  developed  a  streak  of  laziness. 
Packer  gave  me  a  wink  which  was  the  cue,  and  I  asked  for 
the  oars.  Great  was  my  astonishment  and  also  relief  of 
mind,  when  instead  of  refusing  my  request  which  would 
have  brought  on  a  sanguinary  fight  with  possible  loss  of 
life  to  one  or  more  of  us,  the  boss  boatman  handed  me  the 
oars.  The  Paulista,  ready  for  a  siesta,  even  though  the 
sea  was  rough,  dropped  his  oars  beside  his  comrade,  and 
turned  over  on  his  side  for  a  snooze.  All  alone,  with  no 
help,  I  had  to  row  the  three  occupants  back,  as  each 
refused  to  labor  any  more.  It  took  me  two  hours,  hard 
pulling,  before  we  again  reached  the  dock  at  Montevideo. 
Believing  that  the  "doctor"  stunt  was  a  lie,  and  that  both 
were  sailors  from  the  Brazilian  vessel,  I  offered  the  boat- 
men a  piece  of  change  for  their  aid  in  bringing  us  to  terra 
firma,  for  unless  they  had  taken  us  in  their  rowboat  we 


6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

would  by  this  time  be  well  under  way  for  Santos.  The 
boss  boatman  was  indignant  and  informed  me  that  I  was 
insulting  him.  I  then  handed  out  some  silver  to  the 
"Marconi"  operator;  he  was  on  the  point  of  accepting  it, 
but  withdrew  his  hand  at  a  growl  of  disapproval  from  the 
"doctor.  " 

"You  had  better  have  some  refreshment,'"  I  said  to 
them,  leading  the  way  to  a  nearby  bar.  They  followed 
me  and  seating  themselves  at  the  same  table  with  us, 
ordered  some  raspberry  soda.  This  was  astonishment 
No.  2,  for  I  could  hardly  conceive  such  villainous-looking 
rascals  imbibing  anything  milder  than  one  hundred  proof 
whiskey. 

"See  this  ring,"  quoth  the  Fluminense,  turning  a  finger 
to  me  so  that  I  could  see  within  the  gold  setting,  a  black 
stone  in  which  was  chiselled  the  image  of  a  serpent :  "  It 
denotes  the  cult  of  ^sculapius.  Most  Brazilian  doctors 
wear  them.  I  have  been  on  the  same  ship  for  three  years. 
Here  is  my  card."  The  man  pulled  a  book  out  of  his 
pocket  similar  to  a  lodge  pass-book  at  home,  and  true 
enough  I  saw  that  he  was  telling  the  truth,  and  that  he 
really  was  a  bona  fide  physician. 

We  must  have  sat  at  the  table  for  about  fifteen  minutes, 
when  the  Marconi  operator  got  into  a  row  with  the  waiter, 
whom  he  claimed  overcharged  him  the  day  before  on  a 
dish  of  ice  cream.  The  waiter  called  the  proprietor  and  a 
big  rumpus  occurred.  It  wound  up  by  the  Paulista  pull- 
ing a  fist  full  of  nickle-in-the-slot  machine  slugs  out  of  his 
pocket  and  hurling  them  with  great  force  into  the  face 
of  the  outraged  proprietor.  Before  he  could  recover  his 
astonishment,  both  Brazilians  "beat  it"  in  the  direction 
of  the  docks.  Packer  and  I,  anticipating  trouble,  also 
"beat  it,  "  but  up  the  hill.  No  man  likes  to  chase  another 
up  hill.     In  case  any  reader  of  this  article  should  go  to 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile      7 

Montevideo,  and  would  like  to  know  where  this  particular 
cafe  is,  I  wish  to  inform  him  that  it  is  situated  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  streets,  Rampla  and  Alzaibar. 

That  same  night  as  I  was  standing  on  the  Plaza  Matriz 
in  front  of  the  Hotel  Lanata,  I  was  accosted  by  a  very 
clean-looking  gentleman,  immaculately  dressed  in  black, 
wearing  spats,  and  carrying  a  small  cane.  I  thought  it  was 
a  case  of  mistaken  identity  and  was  about  to  pass  on,  when 
to  my  amazement  I  recognized  the  doctor.  The  trans- 
formation was  complete.  He  could  now  pass  for  a  boule- 
vardier  while  before  he  had  the  air  of  a  cutthroat.  He 
informed  me  that  he  had  rowed  back  to  his  ship,  changed 
his  attire,  and  had  returned  to  shore  by  a  motor  boat. 

The  city  of  Montevideo  has  about  four  hundred  thou- 
sand inhabitants  exclusive  of  suburbs,  and  stretches  over 
quite  an  area  of  land,  due  to  the  broad  streets  and  lowness 
of  its  houses.  It  is  built  around  the  harbor  and  also  along 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  which  is  separated  from  the  harbor 
by  a  hill  in  the  shape  of  a  whaleback.  At  the  western  end 
of  the  harbor  is  the  cerro  which  marks  the  mouth  of  the 
La  Plata  and  which  is  the  only  hill  worthy  of  the  name 
until  that  of  Lambare  is  reached  one  thousand  miles  up 
the  river,  the  landmark  for  Asuncion.  The  whaleback 
is  the  business  part  of  the  city,  although  the  shopping 
district  has  now  a  tendency  to  spread  more  eastward. 
The  gradient  to  the  top  of  the  whaleback  on  which  lies  the 
Calle  Sarandi,  one  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  city,  is 
gentle,  but  yet  I  have  several  acquaintances  who  refused 
to  w^alk  it,  preferring  to  go  from  the  docks  to  the  Plaza 
Matriz  in  a  taxicab.  One  of  these  men  is  Mr.  Oliver  H. 
Lane,  formerly  of  Washington  before  that  city  w^as  made 
"dry,"  but  who,  because  that  calamity  befell  the  National 
Capital,  moved  to  Boston.  One  day  in  December,  1915, 
he,  Packer,  and  I  started  from  the  docks  uptown  on  foot. 


8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

After  wc  had  gone  two  blocks.  Lane  planted  his  back 
against  the  wall  of  a  building  and  said : 

"What  do  you  take  me  for?  Do  you  think  1  want  to 
walk  to  Paraguay?" 

As  there  were  no  taxicabs  around,  Packer  and  I  were 
obliged  to  walk  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  Plaza 
Matriz  to  get  one  to  return  for  Lane,  whom  we  found  in 
the  same  identical  spot  with  his  back  still  against  the  wall. 

Montevideo  ranks  according  to  the  tonnage  of  vessels 
entering  and  clearing  its  harbor  as  the  ninth  port  in  the 
world,  surpassing  all  South  American  cities  in  this  respect. 
Until  about  fifty  years  ago,  it  was  the  metropolis  of  the 
La  Plata  watershed.  About  that  time  Buenos  Aires 
passed  it,  and  to-day  the  population  of  the  Argentine 
metropolis  is  four  times  larger.  Montevideo  has  a  fine 
harbor;  Buenos  Aires  has  none.  The  Uruguayan  back 
country  is  richer  than  the  country  behind  Buenos  Aires. 
Montevideo  has  a  wonderful  climate,  cool,  invigorating, 
with  a  fresh  breeze  always  blowing;  Buenos  Aires  has  a 
humid,  enervating,  somewhat  depressing  climate.  With 
these  natural  superiorities,  one  would  think  Montevideo 
would  outrank  Buenos  Aires  but  not  so.  Buenos  Aires 
has  always  had  a  spirit  of  progression,  which  has  become 
contagious  and  has  spread  to  Rosario,  and  to  Bahia 
Blanca;  Montevideo  has  always  been  conservative, 
entirely  wrapped  in  herself,  indifferent  to  other  cities. 
Uruguay,  which  is  the  smallest  republic  in  South  America, 
has  an  area  of  only  72,210  square  miles,  not  as  large  as  the 
province  of  Buenos  Aires  alone.  Of  its  population  of 
1,042,668  inhabitants,  one  half  live  within  a  radius  of 
twenty  miles  from  the  center  of  the  city  of  Montevideo. 
The  difference  between  Buenos  Aires  and  Montevideo  is 
so  great  that  it  is  difficult  to  realize  that  they  are  separated 
only  by  a  night's  run  of  190  knots. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile      9 

The  topography  of  the  city  is  a  succession  of  low  hills 
which  flank  the  harbor.  They  continue  to  the  cerro, 
seven  miles  around  the  semi-circular  harbor,  and  on  their 
sides  and  summits  are  built  a  succession  of  villages  not 
included  in  the  incorporation  limits  of  Montevideo.  On 
the  cerro  rise  the  whitewashed  houses  of  the  town  of  Villa 
del  Cerro,  while  at  its  bottom  slopes  near  the  La  Plata 
mouth  there  is  a  large  eucalyptus  grove  of  dark  green 
color,  a  landmark  for  many  miles  at  sea. 

There  was  but  little  building  done  in  Montevideo 
between  the  years  1912  and  1916;  in  fact  I  could  see  no 
change,  although  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  population 
is  increasing  on  a  normal  scale.  The  monotony  of  the 
appearance  of  the  residential  streets  is  impressing.  Each 
street  has  the  same  cobblestone  pavement;  on  each  street 
there  are  sycamore  trees  between  the  pavement  and  the 
sidewalk;  the  houses  are  mostly  the  same,  one  and  two 
stories  high,  built  of  the  same  material  and  offering 
absolutely  no  contrast  in  architecture,  in  size,  or  color 
to  the  thousands  like  them  in  the  Uruguayan  metropolis. 
This  same  condition  must  have  existed  since  the  Colonial 
times,  because  one  writer,  whose  book  written  about  1830 
I  recently  read,  said  in  his  description  of  Montevideo  that 
on  account  of  the  great  similarity  of  the  houses  and 
absence  of  street  numbers,  drunken  men  frequently 
mistook  houses  of  other  people  for  their  own  and  entered 
them  at  different  times  of  the  day  and  night  causing  much 
embarrassment  and  confusion. 

The  residences  of  the  wealthier  inhabitants  do  not 
have  this  monotonous  uniformity.  They  are  villas,  set 
back  from  the  street  in  large  gardens  and  lawns,  enclosed 
by  low  brick  walls.  In  architecture  they  are  light  and 
resemble  the  houses  of  the  aristocracy  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
Compared  with  the  palatial  homes  of  the  Buenos  Aires 


10  Journeys  and  Experiences 

millionaires  they  are  inexpensive.  The  Avenida  Agraci- 
ada  is  the  main  residential  street,  but  the  Avenida  Brazil  in 
the  suburb  of  Pocitos  has  many  fine  homes,  some  of  which 
are  the  summer  abodes  of  Argentinos  who  like  to  spend 
the  hottest  months  of  the  summer  by  the  seashore.  The 
very  finest  mansion  in  the  city  is  on  the  Plaza  Zabala,  the 
loafers'  park,  in  the  business  section  on  the  whaleback, 
and  not  far  from  the  docks.  It  is  owned  by  an  Italian 
who  wished  to  have  his  residence  near  to  his  place  of 
business. 

The  main  shopping  streets  are  vSarandi  and  Rincon. 
These  are  parallel  and  are  but  one  block  apart.  The 
Avenida  i8  de  Julio,  like  the  Avenida  de  Mayo  in  Buenos 
Aires,  is  the  parade  street.  It  is  a  beautiful  broad  avenue 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  and  runs  eastward  from  the 
Plaza  Independencia.  Seven  blocks  up  it  is  interrupted 
in  its  course  by  the  Plaza  Libertad,  formerly  named 
Sagancha.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  streets  in  South  America. 
Many  of  the  streets  have  old  Indian  names  peculiar  to 
the  country  such  as  Timbo,  Yaro,  Tacuarembo,  Yaguaron, 
Yi,  Cuareim,  Ibicui,  Ituzaingo,  Guarani,  etc.  It  is  pleas- 
ant to  see  this  change  in  street  names  after  a  sojourn  in 
Argentina  where  in  each  city  the  nomenclatures  of  the 
streets  never  vary,  with  the  omnipresent  San  Martin, 
Tucuman,  Cordoba,  Corrientes,  LaRioja,and  many  others. 

Montevideo  and  its  suburbs  on  the  ocean  are  the  great 
bathing  resorts  of  South  America  and  are  visited  annually 
by  more  people  than  Mar  del  Plata,  the  latter  place  being 
exclusively  for  tlie  rich.  On  account  of  its  proximity  to 
Buenos  Aires,  it  is  resorted  to  daily  by  great  numbers  of 
tourists,  who  make  the  night  trip  across  the  La  Plata 
River.  Pocitos  is  the  most  popular  bathing  resort.  The 
poor  natives  do  their  swimming  from  the  rocks  on  the 
ocean  front  near  the  heart  of  the  city.     They  are  invari- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     n 

ably  garbed  a  la  Adam,  and  are  visible  by  all  the  occupants 
of  the  electric  tramcars  that  pass  along  that  shore.  The 
most  aristocratic  beach  in  Montevideo  is  the  Playa  Ra- 
mirez but  people  do  not  flock  to  that  section  as  much 
for  bathing  as  they  do  for  gambling.  Everything  goes  in 
Montevideo.  The  exclusive  and  expensive  Parque  Hotel 
at  the  Playa  Ramirez,  the  show  place  of  costly  raiment, 
and  of  sparkling  gems  which  embellish  the  figures  of  their 
wearers,  has  in  connection  the  finest  gambling  house 
in  America,  roulette  and  baccarat  being  the  attractions. 
The  Parque  Hotel,  which  was  formerly  under  the  manage- 
ment of  a  naturalized  United  States  citizen,  Edward 
Aveglio,  is  now  under  the  same  management  as  the  Palace 
Hotel  in  Buenos  Aires,  and  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the 
best  seashore  hotels  in  South  America.  It  is  patronized 
largely  by  Argentine  aristocracy. 

The  gambling  establishment,  probably  after  those  of 
Monte  Carlo  and  San  Sebastian  the  most  luxurious  edifice 
of  its  kind  in  existence,  opens  at  5  p.m.  and  closes  at  7.30 
P.M.  It  reopens  at  9  p.m.  and  closes  at  2  a.m.  A  fee  of 
one  peso  ($1.04)  is  charged  to  enter.  One  peso  is  the 
lowest  permissible  play  on  any  single  number  at  roulette 
and  one  hundred  pesos  is  the  highest.  Unlike  the  Argentine 
roulette  wheels  which  have  a  o  and  a  00,  this  one  has 
but  a  single  zero  which  gives  the  player  (or  rather  the 
victim)  one  nineteenth  of  a  better  show  to  win,  if 
successful. 

The  same  class  of  crowd  that  graces  most  European 
casinos  is  seen  here  at  its  zenith.  There  is  present  the 
nervous  individual,  who  wants  the  public  to  think  he  has 
a  system.  To  make  them  believe  it,  he  pretends  to  study 
a  chart  and  makes  pencil  notations.  When  he  loses,  he 
mutters  an  unintelligible  exclamation.  There  also  grace 
the  scene  fat  dowagers  with  paste  diamond  necklaces. 


12  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Some  women  who  have  wasted  their  allowance  on  bridge 
and  poker,  and  are  now  in  the  clutches  of  the  money- 
lender, come  here  to  attempt  to  retrieve  their  fortune  on 
one  final  coup,  in  most  cases  their  swan  song.  Bankers, 
diplomats,  millionaires,  and  cabinet  officers  from  Buenos 
Aires,  a  president  of  one  of  the  Latin  republics  are  to  be 
seen.  Young  fops  are  in  evidence,  not  to  play,  but  to  ogle 
the  raft  of  glorious  girls  always  to  be  found  in  propinquity 
to  tables  of  chance. 

The  casino  does  a  great  bar  business  in  champagne 
cocktails  to  the  tune  of  forty-one  cents  a  glass.  This 
champagne  cocktail,  regardless  of  its  high  price,  seems  to 
be  one  of  the  favorite  strong  drinks  there.  The  soft  drink 
that  tickles  the  palate  of  the  Montevideanos  is  a  nauseat- 
ing concoction  named  palta.  It  is  made  of  orange  juice, 
pineapple  juice,  sugar,  and  the  yolk  of  an  egg;  to  it  is 
added  siphon  water.  It  is  then  stirred,  and  served  in  a 
large  goblet.  I  tried  some  of  it  as  an  experiment  and  am 
sorry  that  I  did  not  stick  to  beer,  for  the  egg  that  the 
mixologist  used  in  my  palta  was  rotten.  In  R.  Bibondo's 
Brazilian  coffee  house  on  Suipacha  Street  in  Buenos 
Aires,  I  once  received  a  piece  of  cake  in  whose  making  a 
rotten  egg  was  likewise  used. 

Although  the  Grand  Hotel  Lanata  cannot  be  called 
first-class  in  any  respect,  excepting  the  restaurant  which  is 
the  best  in  the  city,  it  is  far  better  for  the  unaccompanied 
male  visitor  to  stop  there  than  at  the  Parque,  on  account 
of  its  central  location.  It  takes  twenty  minutes  by 
electric  car  to  reach  the  Parque  from  the  Plaza  Independ- 
encia.  It  costs  Si. 20  to  reach  it  by  taxicab.  The  Grand 
Hotel  Lanata  of  Ximincs  and  Santamarina  is  in  the  central 
part  of  the  city  on  the  Plaza  Constitucion  (formerly  called 
the  Plaza  Matriz)  and  is  convenient  for  shoppers  and  sight- 
seers.    The  Oriental  near  the  docks  is  a  good  hotel,  but 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile      13 

the  glass-roofed  parlor  and  lobby  is  malodorous  from  poor 
ventilation.  Other  good  hotels  are  the  Colon,  Barcelona, 
and  Florida  Palace.  Regarding  the  last-mentioned  place, 
I  must  state  that  its  proprietor  is  a  Brazilian  who  does  not 
draw  the  color  line  as  to  his  clientele. 

Worthy  of  interest  are  the  cathedral,  the  Solis  theatre, 
the  central  market,  the  colonnaded  buildings  on  the  Plaza 
Independencia.  the  new  university,  the  central  cemietery, 
and  the  Uruguaya  brewery. 

The  cathedral  is  a  twin-towered  and  domed  majestic 
structure  on  the  Plaza  Constitucion  with  an  elaboratel}^ 
decorated  chapel.  Four  golden  suns  (the  sun  is  the  em- 
blem of  Uruguay)  are  painted  on  an  azure  background 
on  the  wall  beneath  the  dome.  The  rays  of  the  natural 
sun  above,  penetrating  the  yellow  and  blue  skylights  of  the 
dome,  cast  weird  and  ghostly  lights  in  the  interior. 

The  Uruguaya  brewery  is  on  the  Calle  Yatai,  to  the 
west  of  the  center  of  the  city,  but  nearly  two  miles  from 
the  downtown  business  section.  It  is  best  reached  by 
electric  tramcar.  The  reason  for  a  visit  to  it  is  the  large 
beer  hall  like  the  Hofbrauhaus  in  Munich,  and  whose 
replica  is  to  be  found  nowhere  else  in  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere. There  are  large  bare  tables,  with  chairs  and 
benches.  The  visitor  sits  at  one  of  these.  He  need  not 
give  an  order  for  no  sooner  is  he  seated  than  a  full  schuper 
of  foaming  elixir  is  placed  in  front  of  him.  When  he  has 
had  enough,  he  turns  his  empty  mug  bottom  up,  other- 
wise it  is  a  sign  that  his  thirst  has  not  been  quenched  and 
that  he  is  in  line  for  another  one,  which  is  immediately  set 
in  front  of  him. 

The  specialties  of  Montevideo  are  the  polished  agates 
and  stones  common  to  Uruguay.  These  are  found  in 
abundance  in  the  department  of  Minas,  and  although 
expensive  are  fine  souvenirs.     No  tourist  should  visit  the 


14  Journeys  and  Experiences 

city  without  taking  some  away  as  the}'  make  admirable 
gifts  to  friends  at  home.  They  arc  made  into  paper 
weights,  paper  cutters,  stamp  holders,  buttons,  etc.  The 
best  ones  are  dark  blue;  next  come  the  smoky  gray.  Also 
beautiful,  but  cheaper,  are  the  brick  red  ones,  and  those 
that  are  a  combination  of  black  and  white. 

A  beautiful  pink  lily  graces  the  lawnis  of  the  Avenida 
Agraciada.  In  shape  it  is  like  our  common  orange  red 
milk  lily  but  unhke  the  milk  lily  which  grows  in  racemose 
clusters  on  a  single  stalk  this  Uruguayan  lily  has  but  one 
blossom.  It  is  hardy  and  should  thrive  in  the  United 
States. 

A  gastronomic  delicacy  of  Montevideo  is  the  lobster 
which  is  caught  on  the  Uruguayan  littoral,  and  which  is 
seldom  to  be  procured  in  Buenos  Aires  restaurants. 

Montevideo  vies  with  Rio  de  Janeiro  as  being  one  of 
the  cleanest  cities  in  the  Western  Hemisphere;  like  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  its  taxicabs  and  public  automobiles  for  hire  are 
the  best  in  the  Western  Hemisphere.  The  Montevideano 
drivers  are  reckless,  and  one  day  w^hile  out  driving  in  the 
suburbs  in  a  hired  motor  car,  the  chauffeur  tried  to  drive 
his  machine  through  a  narrow  place  with  the  result  that 
he  drove  into  a  five-mule-power  wagon  and  smashed  the 
left  headlight  and  dented  the  hood  for  his  pains.  Return- 
ing by  the  same  road  shortly  afterwards,  he  met  the  same 
wagon,  and  angered  drove  into  the  mules  for  revenge. 
This  caused  much  annoyance  as  the  mule  driver,  not  know- 
ing that  the  automobile  was  a  public  vehicle,  believed  that 
it  belonged  to  me  and  that  I  had  set  the  chauffeur  up  to 
this  nefarious  trick.  The  latter,  being  a  cur,  stood  safely 
to  one  side  while  I  and  the  teamster  had  the  altercation. 
Although  we  nearly  came  to  blows  on  account  of  the 
chauffeur's  scurvy  stunt,  the  latter  never  opened  his 
mouth  to  help  mc  out  of  the  difficulty. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     15 

The  Uruguayan  metropolis  is  the  congregating  place  of 
desperadoes,  ruffians,  and  other  gentry  of  similar  character 
from  Argentina,  and  other  nations.  They  loiter  about 
the  entrances  of  the  disreputable  saloons  and  sailors' 
dives  and  by  their  drunken  actions  and  foul  speech  make 
it  impossible  for  a  respectable  woman  to  pass  down  any 
of  the  streets  near  the  docks  without  an  escort.  Argentina, 
glad  to  be  ridden  of  this  class  of  social  outcast,  makes  no 
effort  to  extradite  them  unless  they  have  committed  some 
major  crime.  Here  in  Montevideo,  they  "raise  hell"  and 
scarcely  a  day  goes  by  without  the  newspapers  mention- 
ing some  murder,  assault,  or  burglary  that  has  taken  place. 

One  of  these  gentry,  a  Cockney,  evidently  mistaking  me 
for  one  of  his  kind,  approached  me  one  day  as  I  sat  in  front 
of  a  cafe  under  the  colonnades  in  the  Plaza  Independencia, 
and  asked  me  for  a  job.     He  said: 

"I  ham  not  a  bit  particular  what  kind  of  a  job  it  be," 
and  drawing  near  to  my  ear,  he  let  his  voice  drop  as  he 
spoke:  "I  hax  no  questions.  If  there  be  hanybody  you'd 
like  to  put  out  of  the  way,  Hi'm  the  man  to  do  it." 

Not  many  people  traveling  between  Montevideo  and 
Buenos  Aires  ever  think  of  making  the  trip  otherwise  than 
on  one  of  the  palatial  steamers  of  the  Mihanovich  Line 
which  ply  between  the  two  ports  in  a  night's  run.  The 
luxurious  steamers  Ciudad  de  Bueyios  Aires  and  the  Ciudad 
de  Montevideo,  and  the  smaller  but  admirable  Londres 
and  Lishoa,  are  in  the  height  of  the  season  jammed  with 
passengers  nearly  to  overcrowding.  Tired  of  gazing  upon 
the  sluggish  and  muddy  La  Plata  River  and  eager  to  see 
the  Uruguayan  landscape,  I  decided  to  make  the  trip  by 
rail  as  far  as  Colonia  and  thence  make  the  twenty-five 
mile  crossing  to  Buenos  Aires  on  one  of  the  smaller  boats. 

Colonia,  capital  of  the  department  of  the  same  name,  is 
153  miles  distant  by  rail  from  Montevideo.     Trains  run 


i6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

thrice  a  week  only,  on  Tuesday,  Thursday,  and  Saturday, 
making  the  return  trip  the  next  day,  and  their  running 
time  is  seven  hours  and  fifteen  minutes,  the  speed  includ- 
ing stops  being  slightly  over  twenty-one  miles  an  hour. 

I  left  Alontevideo  on  the  Central  Railroad  one  morning 
at  6.15  A.M.,  and  thirty-five  minutes  later  entered  the 
department  of  Canelones  at  the  large  village  of  Las  Pie- 
dras.  The  landscape  during  that  short  distance  and  even 
as  far  as  25  de  Agosto,  where  the  department  of  San  Jose  is 
entered  was  a  monotonous  succession  of  low  rolling  hills, 
with  low,  long  red  brick  and  whitewashed  estancia  build- 
ings set  back  from  the  countr}'  roads,  at  the  edge  of  euca- 
lyptus and  pepperberry  groves.  Herds  of  fat  cattle  and 
sheep  browsed  in  the  pastures  tended  by  shepherd  boys 
with  long-haired  dogs.  Between  Las  Piedras  and  25  de 
Agosto  a  small  city  was  passed.  Its  name  is  Canelones 
and  was  formerly  called  Guadelupe.  It  is  the  capital  of 
Canelones  and  lies  to  east  of  the  railroad  between  it  and 
a  river  named  the  Canelon  Chico.  The  rivers,  Canelon 
Grande  and  Canelon  Chico  give  the  name  to  the  province. 

25  de  Agosto  is  nothing  but  a  railroad  junction  with 
some  repair  shops.  The  main  line  of  the  Central  Railroad 
runs  north  to  the  Brazilian  frontier  at  Rivera,  and  is  here 
joined  by  the  branch  that  goes  westward  to  Colonia.  The 
department  of  San  Jose  which  is  now  entered,  presents 
a  different  aspect  than  Canelones  for  the  trees  which  had 
hitherto  been  present  in  abundance  around  the  estancias, 
had  now  disappeared.  The  country  had  become  more 
rolling,  and  to  the  westward  a  low  range  of  hills  appeared 
on  the  horizon.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  a  canopy  of 
yellow  dried  prairie  grasses  bedecked  the  parched  and 
blistered  soil,  sweltering  beneath  the  scorching  rays  of  the 
hot  February  sun.  All  over  this  seething  landscape, 
roamed  at  will,  half  wild  cattle,  long  and  gaunt.     It  is  as 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     17 

much  as  a  man's  life  is  worth  to  venture  on  foot  amidst  a 
herd  of  these  Uruguayan  cattle.  They  seldom  attack  a 
horseman,  knowing  that  he  has  them  at  an  advantage,  but 
the  foot  traveler  should  be  wary,  for  the  quadrupeds 
know  the  tables  are  turned,  and  will  charge  and  gore  him 
to  death  on  sight.  Birds  of  the  genus  Struthio,  spoken 
of  as  ostriches,  but  which  in  reality  belong  to  the  branch 
named  cassowaries,  as  they  have  three  toes  instead  of  two 
like  the  ostrich,  and  no  tufted  tail  feathers  like  the  latter, 
mingle  with  these  nomadic  cattle;  so  does  the  timid  deer, 
unafraid  and  on  terms  of  comradery,  for  it  is  only  against 
man  that  these  beasts  have  animosity. 

The  city  of  San  Jose,  one  of  the  largest  in  Uruguay, 
whose  population  I  imagine  is  about  .fifteen  thousand 
inhabitants,  is  reached  at  9.11  a.m.  It  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated on  a  river  of  the  same  name  at  the  base  of  some  high 
hills,  which  rise  at  the  west  of  the  city.  The  town  itself 
is  intersected  by  the  railroad  which  in  a  Uruguayan  city  is 
unusual  as  most  are  generally  at  quite  a  distance  there- 
from. At  Mai  Abrigo,  which  is  reached  about  an  hour 
after  leaving  San  Jose,  the  railroad  branches  out  again, 
the  other  one  going  to  Mercedes,  a  pleasant  city  on  the 
Rio  Negro,  and  the  capital  of  the  department  of  Soriano. 
Continuing  on  the  Colonia  line,  we  enter  the  department 
of  Colonia  and  keep  on  till  we  reach  a  small  place  named 
Rosario  which  is  the  junction  for  another  branch  line  to 
a  La  Plata  port  named  Puerto  del  Sauce.  Colonia  is 
reached  at  1.30  P.M.  Connection  is  made  with  small 
boats  of  the  Mihanovich  Line  which  sail  one  hour  later, 
making  the  crossing  to  Buenos  Aires  in  three  hours  to  the 
tune  of  $2.89. 

Colonia  is  a  fine  little  town  with  about  eight  thousand 
inhabitants  lying  directly  across  the  La  Plata  River  from 
Buenos  Aires  from  which  city  I  imagine  it  to  be  about 


1 8       .\rgentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

twenty-five  miles  distant.  It  is  cool,  with  a  fresh  breeze 
generally  blowing  and,  owing  to  this,  is  much  visited  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Argentine  metropolis  as  a  health  and 
summer  resort.  It  has  two  good  hotels,  the  Esperanza 
and  the  Ruso.  Besides  the  boats  that  ply  daily  between 
Buenos  x\ires  and  Colonia,  there  are  excursion  steamers 
Sundays;  also  those  that  make  nightly  trips  returning  at 
an  early  hour  of  the  morning.  The  reason  for  this  last 
mentioned  service  is  that  in  Uruguay  gambling  is  per- 
mitted, and  at  San  Carlos,  near  Colonia  and  reached  by 
a  narrow  gauge  railway,  is  another  casino  where  the  click 
of  the  ball  as  it  revolves  on  the  disk  of  the  roulette  wheel 
disturbs  the  nocturnal  air. 

Aly  friend  Packer  had  an  obsession  for  this  kind  of 
pastime,  and  many  were  the  nightly  visits  he  made  to 
San  Carlos.  On  one  of  these  trips,  while  watching  the 
game  in  the  casino,  an  Englishman  had  made  a  consider- 
able winning,  but  owing  to  his  inability  to  converse  in 
the  Spanish  language,  the  croupiers  were  endeavoring  to 
cheat  him  out  of  his  winnings.  He  appealed  to  Packer, 
who  helped  him  out  and  got  his  money  for  him.  On  the 
trip  back  to  Buenos  Aires  that  same  night,  he  and  Packer 
were  seated  opposite  to  one  another  in  the  dining-room. 
Packer  tried  to  enter  into  conversation  with  him.  The 
Englishman  puckered  up  his  lips  and  said :  "  I  no  speeka 
Engleesh."  He  deserved  to  be  thrashed.  It  is  a  very 
common  occurrence  in  most  countries  of  South  America, 
especially  in  Argentina  for  Englishmen  to  try  to  hide  their 
nationality  and  pass  off  as  a  native.  Why  they  do  this 
odious  act,  I  do  not  know,  but  any  foreigner  no  matter 
how  ignorant  he  is,  can  always  spot  an  Englishman  by  his 
mispronunciation  of  the  language  he  is  trying  to  hide 
himself  under. 

A  syndicate  was  formed  with  SSoo.ooo  capital  to  start 


o 


19 


20       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

a  bull  ring  at  San  Carlos.  It  would  have  undoubtedly 
been  a  great  money-making  transaction  drawing  innu- 
merable people  from  Buenos  Aires,  but  the  socialistic 
government  of  the  Banda  Oriental,  as  Uruguay'  is  fre- 
quently spoken  of,  very  wisely  put  a  ban  on  this  cruel 
sport. 


CHAPTER  II 

BUENOS   AIRES 

Buenos  Aires  which  should  have  been  named  Malos 
Aires,  on  account  of  the  enervating,  depressing  humidity 
of  its  summer  chmate  when  the  thermometer  sometimes 
registers  as  high  as  104°  Fahrenheit,  and  when  not  a 
breath  of  air  is  stirring,  is  a  city  of  nearly  i  ,750,000  inhabi- 
tants and  rivals  Philadelphia  towards  being  the  third 
in  population  in  the  New  World.  This  capital  of  Argen- 
tina, built  upon  the  west  bank  of  the  muddy  La  Plata 
River  in  latitude  34°  south  is  the  entrepot  and  distributing 
point  for  all  merchandise  and  goods  that  enters  and  leaves 
the  vast  territory  which  comprises  the  La  Plata  system 
and  in  fact  of  all  southern  South  America  east  of  the 
Andes.  It  is  a  city  of  marble  statues,  of  elegant  public 
buildings,  of  sumptuous  palaces,  of  parks  and  boulevards, 
and  is  often  spoken  of  as  the  "Athens  of  America."  It  is 
also  a  city  of  narrow  streets,  of  co7iventillos  (poorer  class 
tenements)  teeming  with  Hebraic  and  Sicilian  life,  of  con- 
fidence men,  lottery  ticket  vendors,  Greek  and  Syrian 
peddlers,  fugitives  from  North  American  justice,  bewhisk- 
ered  Irish  bums,  and  Galician  Jews  reeking  of  garlic, 
adorned  with  corkscrew  sideburns.  Down  its  avenues 
parade  the  same  sort  of  crowd  seen  in  Naples,  also  the 
pompous  banker,  the  bespatted  fop  with  slender  cane, 
the  staid  business  man,  the  artizan,  beggars  galore,  and  a 
galaxy  of  prostitutes,  both  Iberian  and  criolla. 


22       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about  Buenos  xA.ires  is  how 
fast  one  can  get  rid  of  one's  money  with  so  Httle  received 
for  it  in  return.  Evcr3'thing  costs  half  as  much  again  as 
what  it  should,  with  the  possible  exception  of  clothes  and 
shoes.  Meals,  hotel  rooms,  beverages,  lingerie,  photo- 
graphic material,  drugs,  theater  admissions,  and  in  fact 
nearly  everything  under  the  sun  is  sky  high.  The  enter- 
tainments for  a  stranger  to  indulge  in  are  but  few  and 
mediocre.  It  is  every  day  the  same  routine  after  the  first 
week  of  novelty  of  sight-seeing  has  worn  off.  Unless  in 
Buenos  Aires  on  business,  the  stranger  absolutely  kills 
time  unprofitably  by  getting  into  a  rut  from  which  he  does 
not  extricate  himself  until  it  is  time  for  him  to  sail  for 
home.  He  finds  himself  two  or  three  times  a  day  at  the 
same  table  in  front  of  the  same  cafe,  watching  the  same 
people  promenade  by,  the  only  variation  being  an  occa- 
sional visit  to  a  burlesque  show,  the  race  track,  the  post 
office,  or  to  the  zoological  garden. 

In  a  previous  book,  I  stated  that  the  sycamore  trees  on 
the  Avenida  de  Mayo  were  sickly  and  did  not  think  that 
they  would  live.  I  first  saw  them  in  January,  1913.  In 
December,  191 5,  when  I  again  beheld  them,  I  was  aston- 
ished at  their  appearance.  They  were  a  third  again  as 
large,  and  they  begin  to  show  prospects  of  becoming  ele- 
gant shade  trees.  The  subway  was  completed  in  1914. 
It  begins  at  the  Plaza  de  Mayo,  on  which  square  the  Casa 
Rosada,  or  Capitol,  faces,  and  continues  underneath  the 
Avenida  de  Mayo  to  the  mile-distant  Congress  Building, 
thence  underneath  the  next  parallel  street  to  the  north, 
Rivadavia,  the  bisecting  thoroughfare  of  the  city,  to  the 
Once  railroad  station,  the  terminus  of  the  Western  Rail- 
way. An  extension  runs  three  miles  farther  to  a  section  of 
the  city  named  Caballito.  Caballito  is  the  name  that 
the  Naon  estancia  went  by  years  ago  before  the  city  grew 


23 


24  Journeys  and  Experiences 

up.  The  part  of  the  city  where  the  estancia  once  stood 
still  retains  the  name.  Compared  to  subways  in  other 
cities,  this  one  of  Buenos  Aires  is  poorly  patronized.  It 
resembles  the  Budapest  subway,  more  than  it  does  the 
New  York  or  Boston  ones,  and  its  cars  make  but  little 
better  speed  than  do  those  in  the  Budapest  tube.  Cab 
fare  and  taxicabs  are  cheap,  which  are  undoubtedly 
some  of  the  primal  causes  of  the  subway's  not  excessive 
patronage. 

After  his  first  few  da3-s  in  Buenos  Aires,  when  the 
novelty  of  a  strange  city  had  worn  off,  a  friend  and  brother 
Elk,  Mr.  Oliver  H.  Lane,  remarked  to  me: 

"Buenos  Aires  looks  to  me  just  hke  a  big  Italian  city. 
Her  Avenida  de  Mayo,  however,  is  a  poor  imitation  of  the 
Parisian  boulevards." 

In  the  first  respect,  I  agree  with  him.  The  architecture 
of  the  buildings,  the  attire  of  the  male  inhabitants,  the 
way  the  moustaches  are  trimmed,  the  cafes,  the  toscanos, 
the  wax  matches,  the  lottery  tickets,  the  dirty  paper  money, 
the  confectionery  stores,  the  ice  creams,  and  the  beggars 
all  savor  of  the  Lavinian  shores.  In  the  second  respect  I 
cannot  agree  with  him.  The  Avenida  de  Mayo  is  physi- 
cally somewhat  similar  to  the  Parisian  boulevards,  but  in 
character  it  is  widely  different.  If  it  is  supposed  to  ape 
them,  it  is  then  a  poor  imitation,  but  so  different  is  it  in 
most  respects,  that  as  a  first  impression  1  would  only  call 
it  a  physical  imitation.  The  oftener  and  the  longer  one 
sits  in  front  of  the  cafes  and  watches  the  people  pass  by, 
the  further  apart  he  draws  the  comparison  of  this  street 
to  any  street  in  the  world.  I  would  designate  the  Avenida 
de  Mayo  as  original.  The  buildings  that  flank  it  are  much 
taller  than  those  of  Paris;  the  street  is  also  considerably 
narrower  than  those  in  the  French  capital ;  the  crowd  that 
parade  the  sidewalks  is  also  not  the  same. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay  and  Chile 


-^0 


Rivadavia  is  the  street  which  runs  at  right  angles  to  the 
La  Plata  River,  and  continuing  westward  into  the  country, 


Buenos  Aires  Types 


divides  the  city  into  two  parts,  its  intersectors  having 
different  nomenclatures  south  of  it  than  they  have  north. 
For  instance,  a  cross  street  has  the  name  Santiago  del 


26       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

Estero  south  of  it,  and  Talcahuano  north  of  it:  another  is 
named  Piedras  south  of  it,  and  Esmeralda  north  of  it,  etc. 
In  the  old  section  of  Buenos  Aires,  where  the  buildings  are 
almost  entirely  given  up  to  wholesale  and  retail  trade,  the 
streets  are  exceedingly  narrow.  A  decade  and  a  half  ago, 
in  order  to  give  the  people  a  breathing  space,  and  to  relieve 
the  congestion  of  traffic  in  this  part  of  the  city,  houses  one 
half  a  block  south  of  Rivadavia  were  torn  down,  and  the 
Avenida  25  de  Mayo  was  put  through.  It  starts  at  the 
Plaza  de  Mayo  on  which  is  the  Capitol,  and  ends  at 
the  Plaza  Congreso,  on  which  is  the  new  white  marble 
Congress  Building,  the  finest  and  most  expensive  building 
in  all  vSouth  America.  The  length  of  this  boulevard  is 
about  one  mile. 

Architecturally  the  exterior  and  fagades  of  the  Buenos 
Aires  buildings  are  as  fine  as  any  in  the  world;  the  style 
of  architecture  predominating  is  original,  but  the  conta- 
gion has  spread,  and  the  new  structures  of  Montevideo, 
Rosario,  and  Mar  del  Plata  have  copied  the  ornate  and 
domed  style  that  is  preeminently  Bonaerense.  In  order 
to  compare  the  architecture  of  Buenos  Aires  to  that  of 
another  cit^s  let  us  choose  Paris  or  Vienna  because  the 
Argentine  capital  is  a  city  that  is  fundamentally  European. 
Although  more  beautiful  in  buildings  than  either  Paris  or 
Vienna,  it  can  hold  no  comparison  to  them  in  the  massive- 
ness  and  solidity  of  the  edifices  in  either  of  them.  Nearly 
all  the  buildings  in  Argentina  are  built  of  the  poorest 
imaginable  brick,  loosely  fitted  together,  but  little  mortar 
having  been  used.  To  these  is  given  a  coating  of  plaster, 
which  on  the  facades  is  worked  into  ornaments.  On 
account  of  the  climatic  effects  on  the  cheap  material, 
these  buildings  in  a  few  years'  time  take  on  a  weather- 
beaten  appearance.  On  account  of  the  poor  foundations 
on  a  muddy  soil,  many  structures  sink  after  a  few  years. 


<  -B 


27 


28  Journeys  and  Experiences 

With  the  exception  of  the  modern  steel  and  trussed 
concrete  edifices,  the  old  patriarchal  houses  of  the  colonial 
times  and  days  of  the  early  republic  are  the  best  built. 
Hundreds  of  these  are  to  be  seen  to-day  on  the  side  streets. 
They  have  marble-paved,  glass-roofed  patios  onto  which 
open  the  doors  of  the  parlor,  dining  room,  and  living  rooms. 
These  rooms  are  likewise  dependent  on  the  patio  for  their 
light.  Behind  the  first  patio  is  generally  a  second  one,  open 
to  the  sky,  but  on  rainy  and  on  sunny  days  decked  with  an 
awning.  Here  sit  the  family  in  their  leisure  hours;  from 
this  patio  open  the  doors  to  the  bedrooms.  A  small  gar- 
den is  invariably  at  the  rear;  the  kitchen  and  servants' 
quarters  are  in  its  proximity.  The  handsome  villas  and 
private  residences  of  the  wealthy  inhabitants  differ  but 
little  in  architecture  from  the  same  class  of  buildings  the 
whole  world  over.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that  because 
the  material  and  construction  are  poor  that  they  are 
cheap.  They  cost  nearly  double  to  build  what  their  dupli- 
cates would  be  in  the  United  States.  Brick,  stone,  iron, 
sand,  lime,  and  lumber  are  much  more  expensive  than  at 
home. 

The  cost  of  living  in  Buenos  Aires  is  higher  than  in  New 
York,  with  the  exception  of  some  articles  I  have  already 
named.  The  hotel  rates  are,  however,  cheaper.  On  the 
Avenida  de  Mayo,  Callc  Florida,  and  Calle  Callao,  the 
show  streets,  one  is  obliged  to  pay  Fifth  Avenue  prices 
for  articles  purchased ;  on  the  side  streets  the  same  goods 
are  much  cheaper.  The  average  native  does  not  patron- 
ize the  show  places.  At  any  of  the  Avenida  de  Mayo 
cafes,  a  small  cordial  glass  of  Benedictine  costs  twenty-one 
cents.  At  one  of  the  side-street  almazens  (grocery  stores), 
which  have  a  dispensary,  the  same  glass  costs  nine  and  one 
half  cents.  A  pint  of  Guinness'  stout  at  the  Hotel  Savoy 
costs  sixty  cents;   at  the  Avenida  de  Mayo  cafes  it  sells 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     29 

for  forty-three  cents,  while  in  the  aknazens  it  can  be  bought 
for  twenty-six  cents. 


Mr.  Oliver  H.  Lane 

This  photograph  was  taken  on  roof  garden  of  the  Hotel  Majestic 


Regarding  hotels,  Buenos  Aires  has  some  very  fine  ones. 
Most  have  table  d'hote  service,  which  in  Argentina  is 


30       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

taken  in  preference  to  meals  a  la  carte,  for  most  of  the 
guests  take  their  rooms  en  peiisioii  imless  they  intend  to 
make  a  short  stay  only. 

The  Plaza  Hotel,  which  is  the  best  known  and  widest  ad- 
vertised, is  operated  l:)y  the  Ritz-Carlton  Company.  It  was 
built  by  the  banker  Ernesto  Tornquist  and  leased  to  them. 
It  is  nine  stories  high,  and  cost  nine  million  pesos  ($3,843- 
000.00).  Its  rates  are  excessive  for  the  service  rendered. 
The  rooms  are  small,  its  location  is  not  central,  and  there  is 
nothing  to  it  that  gives  it  the  tone  of  comfort  to  be  had  at 
the  other  hotels,  although  the  cuisine  cannot  be  improved 
upon.  Imagine  paying  twenty-five  dollars  a  day  for  a 
small  room  with  bath  and  vestibule,  lunch  and  dinner,  but 
not  including  breakfast.  The  Plaza  is  in  much  demand  for 
private  balls  and  teas,  and  is  also  much  patronized  by 
North  American  commercial  travelers  who  wish  to  make 
a  splurge,  and  impress  their  prospective  customers  with 
their  own  importance,  or  with  the  importance  of  the  firm 
which  they  represent.  An  incident  that  happened  in 
connection  with  this  hotel  should  be  mentioned. 

When  Naon,  the  Argentine  ex-ambassador  to  the  United 
States,  on  a  recent  trip  home  wrote  to  his  family  asking 
them  to  get  suitable  apartments  for  him,  his  sister  had  a 
talk  with  the  manager  of  the  Plaza  Hotel.  The  latter, 
seeing  a  chance  for  a  hold-up,  told  her  that  Naon  could 
have  a  certain  apartment  for  five  thousand  pesos  ($2 1 35.00) 
a  month.  This  figures  out  $71.17  a  day.  Naon  refused 
to  consider  the  matter  and  engaged  a  much  better  suite 
at  the  Hotel  Majestic  at  a  much  cheaper  rate.  A  month 
or  so  afterwards,  while  attending  a  reception  at  the  Plaza 
extended  to  him  by  the  American  Universities  Club, 
the  manager  servilely  approached  him,  and  asked  him 
where  he  was  staying.  Upon  Naon  answering  that  he 
was  stopping  at  the  Majestic,  the  manager  spoke  depre- 


a   2. 


31 


32        Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chili 

catorily  of  the  last -mentioned  hostelry,  and  told  him  he 
would  do  much  better  for  him  at  a  lesser  price  at  the  Plaza. 
Naon  said  that  he  should  have  done  so  in  the  first  place, 
but  on  account  of  his  trying  to  hold  him  up,  he  would  not 
stop  at  the  Plaza  if  he  should  put  the  whole  hotel  at  his 
disposal  free  of  charge. 

The  two  best  hotels  in  Buenos  Aires,  to  my  notion,  are 
the  Majestic  and  the  Grand. 

The  Majestic  is  on  the  Avenida  de  Mayo,  at  the  north- 
west comer  of  Calle  Santiago  del  Estero,  which  is  but  two 
blocks  from  the  Plaza  Congreso.  It  was  opened  in  1910 
at  the  time  of  the  Argentine  Centennial.  It  was  rented 
that  year  by  the  government  to  house  the  foreign  diplo- 
mats attending  the  celebration.  The  prices  are  reason- 
able; the  rooms  all  have  baths,  and  most  of  them  are  suites 
with  parlors.  The  meals  are  table  d'hote  and  the  food 
and  service  are  excellent.  The  building  is  seven  stories 
high,  has  a  roof  garden,  and  a  corner  tower.  The  parlors 
and  writing  room  are  on  the  third  floor  and  are  lighted 
from  a  skylight  at  the  top  of  the  five-story  courtyard  of 
pillared  balconies.  The  Majestic  is  the  residence  of  many 
foreign  ministers  and  their  families;  of  people  of  wealth 
and  culture ;  and  of  the  commercial  representatives  of  the 
best  European  firms.  It  is  no  show  place,  but  a  hotel  of 
quiet  refinement. 

The  Grand  Hotel,  good  but  expensive,  is  on  the  main 
shopping  street,  the  narrow  Calle  Florida,  one  block  north 
of  the  Avenida  de  Mayo  in  a  very  noisy  part  of  the  city. 
The  narrowness  of  the  streets  makes  the  rooms  dark.  The 
Palace  Hotel,  a  large  establishment  on  the  Calle  25  de 
Mayo,  is  well  spoken  of.  It  overlooks  the  Paseo  de  Julio 
and  a  beautiful  park  at  the  river's  edge,  but  the  class  of 
people  and  stores  always  to  be  found  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  docks  makes  the  location  poor.     Among  the  older  of 


^i%. 


Fireman  and  Policeman,  Buenos  Aires 

^  33 


34  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  modern  hotels  which  are  also  good  are  the  Paris,  with 
a  large  restaurant  and  cafe,  the  Cecil,  the  Splendid,  and 
the  Esclava.  The  Espana,  patronized  by  Spaniards,  is  a 
lively  and  excellent  place  with  an  a  la  carte  dining  room. 
It  is  a  good  place  for  the  single  man  to  stop  at;  also  the 
Galileo  and  the  Colon  are  first  class,  clean,  and  have 
good  restaurants.  The  Colon  is  owned  by  the  Gontaretti 
brothers,  who  are  likewise  proprietors  of  the  Hotel  Regina 
at  Mar  del  Plata.  It  has  in  connection  the  best  confec- 
tionery store  in  Buenos  Aires,  that  of  Dos  Chinos. 

Of  all  the  Buenos  Aires  hotels,  the  biggest  fake  is  the 
Savoy,  which  is  owned  by  the  da  Rossi  Company.  It  is  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  streets  Callao  and  Cangallo, 
but  two  blocks  from  the  Plaza  Congreso.  It  was  opened 
in  19 1 3,  at  which  time  the  current  talk  was  that  the  district 
in  which  it  is  situated  was  going  to  be  the  best  in  the  city. 
The  prices  are  exorbitant,  the  food  is  poor,  and  the  rooms 
are  dirty.  As  in  all  the  large  Buenos  Aires  hotels,  the 
prices  here  are  made  for  the  guest  according  to  the  fi- 
nancial judgment  the  scrutinizing  manager  passes  on  him. 
The  waiters  in  the  Savoy  are  veritable  robbers,  and  there 
are  two  prices  for  drinks,  and  for  the  use  of  the  billiard 
table,  the  North  Americans  having  the  benefit  in  being 
obliged  to  pay  the  highest  of  the  two  prices.  They  tried 
to  "put  one  over"  on  "yours  truly"  on  the  price  of  wet 
goods  one  day  when  the  writer  was  playing  pool  with  some 
friends.  The  waiters  had  evidently  forgotten  that  they 
had  sold  me  a  couple  of  bottles  of  Guinness'  stout  the  day 
previous  at  a  reduction  of  forty  centavos  (17c.)  a  bottle 
under  the  price  they  now  anticipated  that  I  would  pay. 
An  argument  followed  m  which  I  won  out,  but  only  after 
I  liad  threatened  them  with  a  cessation  of  visits  in  case 
they  insisted  on  making  me  pay  the  excess  tax  that  they 
had  imposed  upon  me. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     35 

The  Bonaerense  restaurants  are  usually  connected  with 
the  hotels,  although  there  are  many  that  are  not.  Among 
the  best  of  the  latter  are  the  Rotisserie  Sportsman,  Char- 
pentier's,  and  the  Petit  Jardin.  Aue's  Keller,  the  Kaiser- 
halle  recently  opened  by  the  employees  of  Aue's  Keller, 
and  the  Bismarck  are  German  restaurants  and  beer  halls. 
There  are  manv  Italian  restaurants,  that  of  Paccatini  on 


Zoological  Garden,  Buenos  Aires 

Calle  Moreno  a  few  doors  east  of  Calle  Piedras  being  quite 
popular. 

The  cafes  are  excelled  by  none  in  the  world  either  in 
size  or  in  the  expense  of  their  equipment.  Life  in  them 
is  not  as  animated  as  in  those  of  Vienna,  Budapest,  or 
Paris,  and  they  close  about  i.oo  a.m.  They  are  not 
patronized  much  by  women,  nor  do  they  display  moving 
pictures  on  their  walls  as  in  Rosario.  They  are  solely 
rendezvous  for  people  who  enter  them  to  talk  or  drink; 
many  have  antiquated  billiard  tables.     Among  the  best 


36  Journeys  and  Experiences 

are  the  cafes  Paris.  Colon,  and  Tortoni,  all  on  the  Avenida 
de  Mayo. 

As  the  Argentinos  are  not  as  a  rule  solely  addicted  to 
the  frequent  imbibing  of  strong  drinks,  soft  drinks  such  as 
rcjrescos,  lemonade,  beer,  coffee,  and  tea  play  an  important 
role  in  the  dispensing  of  liquid  refreshment  at  cafes.  The 
average  Argentino  suffers  from  gastric,  digestive,  and 
intestinal  ailments,  not  so  much  from  overeating  alone 
as  from  his  utter  inability  to  use  discretion  in  drinking. 
For  breakfast  he  will  have  coffee;  before  lunch  he  will 
drink  a  couple  of  vermouths  with  bitters,  which  he  desig- 
nates as  an  appetizer.  (His  favorite  bitter  is  a  sickening, 
sweetish  syrupy  liquor  of  Buenos  Aires  manufacture 
named  Aperital.)  At  lunch  he  will  either  consume  a  pint 
of  wine  or  a  quart  of  beer,  to  be  followed  by  a  postprandial 
cup  of  strong  coffee  and  a  liqueur.  In  the  afternoon,  he 
will  imbibe  a  bottle  of  mineral  water  and  two  cups  of  tea. 
The  dinner  beverages,  the  same  as  at  luncheon,  consist  of 
beer  or  wine,  coffee  and  cordial.  After  dinner,  which  is 
eaten  at  half -past  seven  or  at  eight  o'clock,  he  feels  "filled 
up"  on  food  and  liquid  and  has  no  immediate  desire  for 
alcoholic  refreshment.  He  now  prefers  to  sit  in  front  of  a 
cafe  and  watch  the  crowd  pass  by,  but  he  would  look  out  of 
place  occupying  a  seat  without  paying  for  anything,  so  he 
orders  a  dish  of  ice  cream  and  a  refresco.  A  refresco  is  a 
syrup  either  of  currant,  strawberry,  raspberry,  or  grena- 
dine flavoring,  covering  an  inch  in  the  bottom  of  a  tall 
glass,  to  which  is  added  either  plain  or  soda  water  and 
cracked  ice.  An  hour  after  partaking  of  this,  he  orders  a 
whiskey  and  soda  followed  by  a  duplicate  or  a  triplicate, 
unless  he  switches  to  beer.  He  caps  the  whole  mess  off  by 
a  cup  of  strong  coffee. 

The  Porteho  (so  is  called  the  inhabitant  of  Buenos 
Aires,  and  which  means  Resident  of  the  Port)  is  also  a 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     T^i 

heavy  eater.  For  luncheon  and  for  dinner,  he  is  apt  to 
eat  seven  courses,  four  of  which  are  meat  and  fish,  and  it 
makes  no  difference  to  him  if  the  fish  comes  after  the  meat 
or  before  it.  The  dinner  tables  of  the  private  houses  have 
white  slates  on  which  is  written  with  a  black  lead  pencil 
the  names  of  the  dishes  in  the  different  courses  as  at  a 
table  d'hote  in  a  hotel.  In  this  way  it  leaves  no  surprise 
nor  conjecture  as  to  which  the  next  course  will  be.  Mate 
is  passed  around  in  the  afternoon.  This  vile  tea,  brewed 
from  yerba  mate,  an  herb  indigenous  to  Paraguay,  the 
southern  states  of  Brazil,  and  the  Argentine  Territory  of 
Misiones,  is  poured  into  a  gourd  and  is  drunk  through  a 
metal  tube  with  a  spoonlike  head,  closed  and  perforated 
with  little  round  holes,  named  a  bombillo.  But  one  person 
drinks  mate  at  the  same  time.  When  he  finishes  this 
"slop"  the  servant  takes  both  gourd  and  bombillo  away 
from  him  and  fills  the  former  for  the  person  sitting  next  to 
him.  Two  rounds  of  it  are  generally  partaken  of.  This 
mate  drinking,  although  said  to  be  absolutely  harmless,  is 
such  a  habit  with  the  native  women  of  the  poorer  classes 
that  they  prefer  it  to  a  husband.  At  Tucuman,  while  I 
was  there,  three  such  wenches  got  into  a  fight  and  one  had 
her  ear  bitten  off.  While  at  the  police  station  she  started 
wailing;  the  police  thinking  she  was  howling  about  the  pain 
tried  to  soothe  her.  It  transpired  that  she  was  wailing  be- 
cause she  left  some  mate  boiling  on  the  stove  at  her  home 
and  nobody  was  left  there  to  tend  to  it. 

The  Cafe  Tortoni  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  Avenida  de 
Mayo  between  the  streets  Piedras  and  Tacuari.  It  ex- 
tends back  to  Rivadavia.  It  is  the  oldest  cafe  in  Buenos 
Aires  and  is  owned  by  a  nonagenarian  Frenchman,  Mon- 
sieur Curutchet,  who  is  on  the  job  morning  and  night  and 
is  still  active,  although  the  management  of  the  establish- 
ment is  in  the  hands  of  his  son,  M.  Maurice  Curutchet.    It 


3^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

was  in  front  of  this  cafe  that  m}-  acquaintances  came  at 
least  twice  a  day,  and  from  a  marble-topped  iron  table 
beneath  the  street  awning  we  observed  Bonaerense  life  to 
great  advantage  as  it  paraded  by.  We  soon  became  so 
accustomed  to  the  different  passers-by,  man}'  of  whom 
went  by  at  the  same  time  each  day,  that  we  soon  knew 
the  vocations  of  many  of  the  folk  that  were  but  atoms 
in  the  large  population  of  the  great  city. 

There  was  a  subway  exit  but  a  couple  of  rods  from  our 
table,  and  it  was  astonishing  to  see  how  people  when  they 
had  reached  the  top  step  would  stop  and  pant.  It  was 
not  a  deep  subway,  but  so  physically  poor  is  the  average 
Porteno  of  the  middle  classes  on  account  of  abuse  of  living 
that  he  soon  becomes  exhausted.  He  does  not  live  long, 
and  many  men  of  forty  are  like  men  at  home  of  sixty. 
The  crowd  that  continually  passes  does  so  with  quick  step, 
neither  looking  to  the  left  nor  to  the  right,  but  straight 
ahead,  serious  and  never  smiling.  I  noticed  this  and 
remarked  to  an  acquaintance  about  it. 

"They  are  evidently  thinking,"  said  he,  "of  how  they 
can  swindle  somebody  out  of  ten  cents." 

The  Porteiios  appear  to  be  a  sad  folk,  and  if  one  sees 
somebody  smile  or  hears  a  sound  of  laughter  on  a  Buenos 
Aires  street,  you  may  be  sure  that  an  Italian  or  a  Spaniard 
is  present.  Latins  from  Europe  that  come  to  Argentina 
soon  become  like  natives,  depressed,  excitable,  and  de- 
spondent. Many  Argentinos  of  the  cities  wear  black 
straw  hats  instead  of  white  ones,  which  still  further  en- 
hances the  funereal  appearance  of  the  men.  This  is  a 
sign  of  mourning,  similar  to  the  black  arm  bands  that  were 
in  fashion  in  the  United  States  a  decade  ago.  I  know  a 
Philadelphia  jackanapes  who  wanted  to  follow  the  custom 
of  Buenos  Aires,  and  seeing  the  great  number  of  men  wear- 
ing black  hats,  bought  one  not  knowins/  that  it  was  a  token 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     39 

of  respect  for  the  departed  relatives.  He  returned  to 
his  country  evidently  never  knowing  his  mistake. 

The  beggars,  street  fakirs,  and  peddlers  on  the  Avenida 
de  Mayo  are  terrible.  No  city  in  the  world  has  so  many. 
Neither  Naples  nor  Las  Palmas  can  compare  with  Buenos 
Aires  in  proportion  in  this  respect.  A  man  seated  at  a 
table  in  front  of  a  cafe  is  never  free  a  minute  from  annoy- 
ance from  this  rabble.  Children  from  five  years  old  up  to 
octogenarians  of  both  sexes  systematically  make  multi- 
diurnal  rounds  up  to  the  different  cafes.  Some  are  in- 
sulting. A  narrow  shouldered  young  man,  a  mixture  of 
degenerate  and  of  cigarette  fiend,  came  to  a  table  where  I 
was  seated  and  offered  some  chewing  gum  for  sale.  Upon 
my  refusal  to  buy  any,  he  backed  up  a  few  steps,  started 
calling  me  names,  and  then  walked  away.  A  few  hours 
later  I  met  him  accidentally;  he  wilted  when  he  saw  there 
was  no  escape.  I  grabbed  him  by  the  coat  collar  and 
nearly  shook  the  eye  teeth  out  of  him.  I  at  least  put  the 
fear  of  God  into  him. 

The  street  urchins  have  a  habit  of  making  the  rounds 
of  the  different  tables  and  if  you  are  not  watching,  steal 
the  cracked  ice  from  the  dish  in  which  it  is  kept  in  front  of 
you  to  put  into  your  glass  of  refresco,  according  to  your 
desire.  I  caught  one  such  boy  doing  this  trick  to  me,  and 
slung  the  contents  of  a  water  pitcher  at  him  which  caught 
him  squarely,  giving  him  a  drenching.  Near  by  was 
seated  a  well-dressed  Argentino  who  took  the  boy's  part, 
and  started  to  call  the  police.  As  a  foreigner,  especially  a 
North  American,  has  no  rights  in  Argentina,  I  thought  it 
best  to  walk  away. 

There  are  milk  depots  stationed  at  various  parts  of  the 
city  and  along  the  Avenida  where  a  person  may  enter 
and  for  ten  centavos  (.042)  bu}'  a  liter  of  milk  either  fresh 
or   cooked.     These   belong    to    La    Martona   and    other 


40  Journeys  and  Experiences 

companies.  Two  ragamuffins  one  night  entered  the  milk 
depot  at  the  northeast  comer  of  the  Avenida  de  Mayo  and 
Calle  San  Jose  and  begged  some  cracked  ice  from  the 
waiter  behind  the  counter.  Upon  his  refusal  to  comply 
with  his  request  one  of  the  boys  expectorated  in  a  gallon 
iar  of  fresh  milk  that  stood  at  one  end  of  the  counter,  and 
which  was  for  sale  to  prospective  customers,  and  then  ran 
out.  Do  you  think  the  man  behind  the  counter  threw  the 
milk  out?  I  should  say  not.  He  merely  took  a  large 
spoon,  skimmed  off  the  expectoration,  and  went  about  his 
business  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  I  sat  in  a  chair  and 
watched  three  other  customers,  who  came  in  later,  be 
served  from  the  same  jar. 

The  lottery  ticket  sellers  are  the  greatest  nuisance. 
They  used  to  annoy  jMr.  Lane  something  fierce.  Packer,  a 
man  named  Brown,  and  I  noticed  it  so  we  put  up  several 
jobs  on  him. 

There  was  a  legless  man  who  made  the  rounds  of  the 
cafes,  being  wheeled  from  place  to  place  in  a  perambulator 
by  an  individual  who  might  easily  as  to  appearance  be 
associated  with  the  Black  Hand.  The  cripple  who  was  a 
middle  aged,  unkempt  ruffian  had  a  multitude  of  lottery 
tickets  for  sale,  and  was  so  persistent  that  he  would 
absolutely  refuse  to  go  away  until  he  had  displayed  all  his 
wares.  He  seemed  to  take  particular  delight  in  torment- 
ing jXTsons  who  were  anxious  to  have  him  move  on.  A 
few  seconds  before  he  was  ready  to  be  wheeled  away,  he 
would  open  up  a  torrent  of  abuse  upon  the  person  who 
refused  to  buy  from  him,  and  in  this  propaganda  he  was 
ably  seconded  by  his  comrade  of  Black  Hand  mien.  Mr. 
Lane  was  of  a  nervous  disposition  and  I  do  not  believe 
the  Canadian  Club  highballs  he  occasionally  indulged  in 
were  any  amelioration  to  this  condition.  He  therefore 
was  considerably  annoyed  with  this  ]3articular   persistent 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     41 

vagabond  and  his  equally  villainous  confrere.  They 
"got  on  his  nerves."  We,  noticing  his  odium  for  this  duo, 
one  day  when  Mr.  Lane  was  absent,  hired  the  two  vaga- 
bonds to  come  to  him  every  time  they  saw  him  seated  in 
front  of  the  Tortoni  and  refuse  to  leave  until  ordered  to 
do  so  by  the  police  or  the  waiters.  A  few  days  afterwards 
while  waliving  along  the  Avenida,  I  saw  Mr.  Lane  seated  in 
front  of  the  Cafe  Madrid,  which  is  a  block  from  the  Tortoni. 

"What  are  you  doing  over  here""  I  asked. 

"The  Tortoni  is  getting  too  much  for  me;  I  never  saw 
so  many  vagabonds  in  my  life  as  there,  so  I  changed  places. 
The  service  and  the  goods  are  no  good  here;  I've  tried  this 
place  three  days  and  can't  stand  it.  I  prefer  the  Tortoni 
but  if  that  legless  hobo  ever  tries  to  sell  me  a  lottery  ticket 
again,  I  am  going  to  tip  him  out  of  his  perambulator  into 
the  street  even  if  I  hang  for  it.  I  believe  I  shall  hire  the 
waiters  at  the  Tortoni  to  give  all  the  street  peddlers  a 
thrashing." 

Mr.  Lane  did  so.  The  waiters  cuffed  up  several  of  the 
human  pests,  and  the  policemen  arrested  a  few  others,  so 
for  about  a  week  everybody  was  free  from  molestation  by 
the  riffraff.  Then  they  gradually  came  back  to  their  usual 
haunts. 

There  was  a  woman  who  continually  made  the  rounds 
soliciting  alms  by  showing  the  bare  stump  of  an  arm 
severed  about  six  inches  from  the  shoulder.  This  harri- 
dan would  take  delight  in  walking  between  the  tables  of 
the  restaurants  while  people  were  at  dinner  and  expose 
this  gruesome  sight  spoiling  appetites. 

Another  nuisance  was  a  woman  about  thirty-five  years 
old  who  had  once  been  comely.  She  sold  lottery  tickets 
and  was  also  terribly  persistent.  She  carried  in  her  arms  a 
baby  while  a  young  child  clung  to  her  skirt.  Although 
this  woman  was  a  nuisance,  I  never  thought  her  to  be 


42  Journeys  and  Experiences 

disagreeable,  but  for  some  reason  Air.  Lane  took  an  aver- 
sion for  her  which  could  be  classified  in  the  same  category 
as  the  detest  he  had  for  the  legless  ruffian.  One  day  while 
being  pestered  by  this  woman,  he  made  a  grab  at  her 
tickets,  crumpled  them  up  and  slung  the  whole  outfit  in 
the  street.  He  was  sorry  for  it  afterwards  and  gave  her  a 
peso  to  ease  her.  The  next  day,  while  Mr.  Lane  was 
absent,  one  of  our  associates  called  the  woman  aside  and 
gave  her  two  pesos  if  she  would  continue  to  display  her 
lottery  tickets  to  Mr.  Lane.  She  accepted  the  proposition 
and  did  so  much  to  his  annoyance.  This  woman  had  for 
a  husband  a  whiskered  Irish  bum.  He  would  come  several 
times  a  day  to  the  subway  entrance  and  make  her  hand 
over  the  proceeds  of  her  sales  to  him.  He  had  a  staff  of 
women  selling  tickets  and  his  sole  occupation  was  to 
make  the  rounds  collecting  money  from  them. 

There  are  many  Irish  bums  in  Buenos  Aires,  men  past 
middle  life  who  years  ago  became  stranded  in  Argentina 
having  deserted  sailing  vessels  and  who  have  never  had 
the  price  nor  the  desire  to  return  to  the  Old  Country. 
They  are  strong,  powerful  men  physically,  unkempt  with 
long  beards;  their  clothes  are  a  mass  of  rags  and  teem 
with  vermin.  Their  daily  occupation  is  to  walk  along 
the  Avenida  begging  alms  which  goes  for  strong  drink. 
At  night  they  sleep  in  the  doorways  and  in  the  gutter. 
One  such  man  made  his  rounds  on  the  Avenida  about 
nine  o'clock  every  night.  Every  time  he  passed  our  table 
at  the  Tortoni,  Mr.  Packer  would  give  him  some  money, 
on  one  occasion  the  sum  being  a  peso.  As  the  man  had 
begged  in  Spanish,  we  did  not  know  his  nationahty  until  a 
certain  incident  happened.  One  particular  night,  Mr. 
Packer  was  without  funds  when  this  hobo  came  around, 
and  told  him  so.  The  bum  sarcastically  imitated  Packer 
and  tlicn  broke  out  into  such  a  tirade  of  profane  and  ob- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     43 

scene  invectives  and  abuse  in  the  English  language,  but 
with  a  strong  brogue,  that  I  am  afraid  the  apostles  turned 
over  in  their  graves. 

The  policemen  of  Buenos  Aires  are  efficient.  They 
are  mostly  of  Indian  descent  and  come  from  the  far  pro- 
vinces. They  seldom  make  an  arrest  for  misdemeanors 
for  there  are  but  few  street  quarrels  when  compared  to  the 
cities  of  the  United  States.  They  occasionally  disperse 
a  bunch  of  young  beggars  who  return  to  their  posts  as 
soon  as  the  "cop"  has  vanished.  At  night  they  make 
the  drunken  bums  vacate  the  street  benches  whither  they 
have  repaired  to  sleep  off  the  fumes  of  Geneva  gin,  which 
in  Spanish  goes  by  the  name  of  ginevra.  Quite  a  few 
incidents  happen  in  the  lives  of  the  Bonaerense  police,  of 
which  here  are  a  couple: 

On  the  Calle  Peru  there  is  an  old  policeman,  beloved 
by  nearly  everybody.  The  storekeepers  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  which  he  is  the  guardian  of  the  peace  hold  him  in 
such  high  esteem  that  at  every  Christmas  they  take  up  a 
collection  for  him.  For  some  unknown  reason,  a  North 
American  named  Woody,  who  represented  the  Case 
Implement  Company  "had  it  in"  for  him.  Mr.  Woody 
was  accustomed  to  partake  of  too  much  John  Barleycorn 
and  when  in  bis  cups  always  abused  this  man  in  strong 
profane  Enghsh.  After  awhile  the  old  policeman  caught 
on  that  he  was  being  made  the  target  of  abuse  which  he 
could  not  understand,  so  one  day  changed  beats  with  a 
big  native  Argentino  policeman  who  was  of  Irish  extraction. 
At  evening  Mr.  Woody  came  along,  as  usual,  much  under 
the  influence  of  liquor.  The  fumes  of  alcohol  having 
dimmed  his  eyesight,  he  was  oblivious  of  the  shift  that  had 
been  made.  Seeing  the  policeman,  he  opened  up  with  his 
tirade.  The  Irishman  let  him  continue  until  Woody  was 
weak  from  lack  of  breath  and  exhausted  vocabulary. 


44  Journeys  and  Experiences 

"Have  yez  finished?"  the  cop  then  asked  him. 

Woody  astounded  at  hearing  the  poHceman  thus  ad- 
dress him,  stammered  an  affirmative. 

"Then,  by  Jaysus.  come  with  me!" 

Mr.  Woody  spent  the  next  eight  days  in  jail  until  his 
friends  learned  of  his  predicament  and  bailed  him  out. 

The  other  incident  is  this: 

One  of  m}- friends  was  seated  one  evening  in  front  of  the 
Tortoni  when  a  policeman  approached  him  and  asked  him 
in  Spanish  if  he  spoke  English.  My  friend  answered  in 
the  affirmative  and  the  pohceman  told  him  to  wait  there  a 
minute  and  walked  away.  Presently  the  guardian  of  the 
law  reappeared  with  a  young  Englishman  who  could  speak 
no  word  of  Spanish.  He  said  he  was  a  sailor  from  a  boat 
that  sailed  that  midnight  and  becoming  lost  did  not  know 
how  to  get  to  it.  He  came  on  an  electric  car  to  the 
Avenida  de  Mayo  and  all  that  he  knew  about  the  line  was 
that  it  bore  a  board  on  which  was  printed  the  name 
"Cinzano."  Now  this  is  the  name  of  a  vermouth  which 
is  widely  advertised  in  Argentina,  and  he  mistook  the 
vermouth  sign  for  the  name  of  the  street.  After  consider- 
able difficulty,  his  ship  was  located. 

One  afternoon,  while  walking  down  the  Avenida  with 
Mr.  Atwood  Benton  of  Antofagasta,  Chile,  we  saw  a  crowd 
collected  and  on  passing  by  noticed  that  a  grown  man  was 
slapping  a  little  girl  and  dragging  her  around  by  the  hair. 
Not  a  man  in  the  crowd  had  made  any  attempt  to  prevent 
this  outrageous  scene,  but  all  stood  by  with  smiles  of  mirth 
on  their  faces.  Mr.  Benton  made  a  rush  through  them 
and  grabbing  the  man  by  the  nape  of  the  neck  gave  him  a 
sound  beating  and  held  him  while  I  called  a  policeman. 
When  the  rabble  saw  what  Benton  did,  they  raised  an 
earsplitting  cheer  of  "bravo"  for  him,  yet  none  of  the 
cowardly  bunch  dared  interfere  for  fear  of  a  poignard  stab. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     45 

A  newspaper  reporter  chanced  by,  shook  Mr.  Benton  by 
the  hand,  congratulated  him  upon  his  bravery,  and  asked 
him  for  his  card  as  he  wished  to  put  it  in  his  newspaper 
next  day.  Mr.  Benton  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and 
extended  him  a  card  which  he  thought  was  his  own,  but 
when  the  newspaper  article  came  out  in  the  La  Nacion  the 
next  day,  it  happened  that  Benton  had  made  a  mistake 
and  had  handed  the  reporter  a  card  of  Mr.  Percival 
O'Reilley  of  Concepcion,  Chile. 

With  the  exception  of  the  policemen,  one  sees  but 
comparatively  few  mestizos  or  people  of  mixed  white  and 
Indian  blood  in  Buenos  Aires,  when  compared  to  the 
inhabitants  of  other  Argentine  cities,  yet  there  are  plenty, 
many  being  in  the  employ  of  the  government.  Dark  com- 
plexions are  not  as  popular  in  Argentina  as  light  ones; 
therefore  many  of  the  criollos  or  natives  whose  facial 
characteristics  are  those  of  the  original  inhabitants  of  the 
land,  beseech  the  photographers  to  put  chemicals  on  the 
plates  so  as  to  make  their  visages  come  out  light  in 
the  photograph.  The  descendants  of  Indians  are  called 
Indios;  negroes  are  called  Negros  and  Chinamen,  Chinos. 
Many  of  the  mestizos  are  nicknamed  Chinos.  All  these 
words  are  terms  of  approbation  and  it  is  funny  to  hear  an 
enraged  descendant  of  an  Indian  call  a  white  person  an 
Indio  or  a  Chino. 

There  is  in  Buenos  Aires  a  fine  opera  house,  the  Colon, 
and  there  are  many  other  theaters,  but  the  most  patron- 
ized by  the  male  public  are  the  burlesque  shows,  the  Casino 
and  the  Royal.  The  attraction  for  the  men  in  those 
places  are  the  "pick  ups"  that  abound  in  the  foyer,  mak- 
ing these  music  halls  clearing  houses  for  loose  moral  femi- 
ninity. There  is  no  more  vice  in  Buenos  Aires  than  in  any 
other  large  city,  but  there  is  a  peculiar  system  in  vogue 
there  which  is  original. 


46  Journeys  and  Experiences 

A  woman  passes  down  the  Avenida  with  a  basket  of 
flowers  on  her  arm.  She  approaches  the  boulevardier 
seated  at  a  table  and  offers  to  sell  him  a  flower.  He  buys 
one  and  as  he  stretches  out  his  hand  to  pay  her,  she  slips 
him  a  card  bearing  the  address  of  a  brothel  but  refuses  the 
money.  These  women  are  the  hirelings  of  the  brothel 
proprietresses.  Often  the  duenas  as  these  propnetresses 
are  called  do  the  florista  act  (flower  selling).  One  night, 
while  seated  in  front  of  the  Tortoni,  a  famous  duena 
named  Carmen  came  along  and  pinned  a  tuberose  on 
an  army  officer.  A  minute  later,  a  rival  dueiia  named 
Alatilda  passed  by  and  seeing  the  tuberose  on  him,  knew 
who  pinned  it  there.  She  tore  it  off,  and  pinned  on  him  a 
carnation.  Carmen  now  returning  from  a  neighboring 
table  saw  the  trick  and  a  battle  royal  like  between  two 
enraged  tigers  ensued.  When  the  police  put  a  stop  to  it, 
the  two  duefias,  scratched  up,  and  with  dishevelled  hair, 
were  obliged  to  make  for  the  subway,  holding  up  the  rem- 
nants of  their  torn  clothing  by  the  middle  lest  they  should 
drop  off. 

Among  the  fine  buildings  of  Buenos  Aires  are  the  custom 
house  and  the  Central  Argentine  Railway  station  at  Retiro. 
This  mammoth  building,  not  yet  completed,  is  the  largest 
and  finest  railroad  station  in  South  America.  This  honor 
was  formerly  held  by  the  Luz  station  in  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil; 
that  of  Mapocho  in  Santiago,  Chile,  being  second.  The 
new  Central  of  Cordoba  Railway  station  is  also  fine. 

There  are  in  Buenos  Aires  but  few  skyscrapers  in  the 
North  American  sense  of  the  word,  a  fifteen-story  building 
being  the  tallest.  It  is  the  new  arcade  on  Calle  Florida 
and  is  the  largest  in  America.  It  ranks  fourth  in  the  world 
in  ground-floor  area;  those  of  Milan,  Naples,  and  Genoa 
being  greater.  There  is  a  thirteen-story  apartment  house; 
the  Otto  Wulf  Building  is  twelve  stories  high,  and  there 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     47 

are  probably  a  dozen  other  buildings  that  exceed  in  height 
ten  stories.  There  are  any  number  of  seven-,  eight-,  and 
nine-story  buildings. 

In  Buenos  Aires  there  are  a  great  number  of  so-called 
Brazilian  coffeehouses  where  about  five  o'clock  after- 
noons people  repair  for  coffee  and  ice  cream.  Casata  ice 
creams  are  a  favorite.  They  are  a  mixture  of  flavors, 
and  these  coffeehouses  specialize  in  two  flavors  of  coffee 
ice  cream  in  the  same  brick.  The  best  known  of  these 
establishments  are  those  of  Huicque  and  of  Bibondo. 

The  zoological  garden  is  the  finest  that  I  have  ever 
had  the  pleasure  of  visiting,  as  far  as  the  collection  of 
animals  is  concerned,  but  the  botanical  garden  is  much 
inferior  to  that  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Palermo  Park,  the 
great  corso  for  automobiles,  is  well  kept  up  but  does  not 
take  my  fancy  on  account  of  the  light  shades  of  green 
common  to  all  trees  of  the  Argentina  flatlands.  The 
brilliant  and  variegated  greens  of  the  trees  of  the  province 
of  Tucuman  are  lacking. 

As  to  manufacturing,  Buenos  Aires  is  nil.  There  is  but 
one  brewery  within  the  city  limits,  that  of  Palermo,  whose 
product  is  vile.  There  was  a  so-called  automobile  factory 
which  bought  parts  and  assembled  them,  but  it  had  to  go 
out  of  business.  There  is  not  much  future  for  manu- 
facturing unless  iron  ore  is  found  in  paying  quantites  in 
Argentina.  Without  iron  and  without  coal  in  Argentina, 
but  little  can  be  done  although  there  are  several  large  oil 
fields  in  Northern  Patagonia.  Rosario  is  a  better  com- 
mercial city  than  Buenos  Aires,  but  the  latter  will  always 
keep  on  growing  and  retain  its  lead  as  the  metropolis  of 
South  America. 

An  institution  of  learning  worthy  of  mention,  and 
which  I  visited  while  in  the  Argentine  metropolis  is  the 
Colegio  Nacional  Mariano  Moreno.     It  is  located  at  3755 


48  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Calle  Rivadavia,  and  is  one  of  the  best  institutions  of 
secondary  learning  extant.  The  course  comprises  six 
years,  the  first  year  corresponding  to  the  ninth  grade  in 
North  American  schools,  and  the  last  year  being  the  same 
as  the  sophomore  year  in  our  universities.  It  is  therefore 
more  like  a  German  gymnasium  than  a  North  American 
high  school,  although  it  differs  from  both  in  the  election 
of  courses.  Here  no  Latin  nor  ancient  languages  are 
taught,  but  other  subjects  such  as  fencing  and  drawing  are 
substituted.  A  good  rule  of  the  institution  which  is  under 
the  able  management  of  the  rector,  Dr.  Manuel  Derqui, 
grandson  of  a  former  president  of  Argentina,  is  that  no  stu- 
dents under  fourteen  years  are  allowed  to  enter,  no  mat- 
ter how  their  preparatory  attainments  are.  This  tends  to 
set  a  better  standard  to  the  instruction,  although  a  younger 
one  sometimes  manages  to  slip  in.  Their  age  upon  gradu- 
ation is  at  least  twenty.  A  diploma  will  give  the  graduate 
entrance  to  any  of  the  Argentine  universities  of  which  there 
are  four  besides  that  of  Buenos  Aires,  the  others  being  in 
La  Plata,  Cordoba,  Sante  Fe,  and  Tucuman. 

What  would  seem  strange  to  us  is  that  the  Mariano 
Moreno  College  is  a  government  institution,  having  no 
connection  at  all  with  the  state  of  municipality.  The 
interior  of  the  building,  with  its  unprepossessing  fagade  of 
four  stories  belies  its  external  appearance.  Its  depth  is 
the  whole  length  of  the  block.  It  has  a  swimming  tank 
and  baths  both  for  the  instructors  and  students.  The 
whole  place  is  kept  remarkably  clean.  The  spirit  of 
competition  and  advance  is  very  strong  among  the  stu- 
dents. Some  of  their  mechanical  drawings,  the  best  ones 
which  are  on  display  on  the  walls  are  like  the  work  of 
experts.  A  student  invented  an  adjustable  and  movable 
drawing  board  which  has  been  adopted  by  the  drawing 
classes    all    through    the    republic.     The    department    of 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     49 

physics  is  a  marvel,  although  the  chemical  laboratory  falls 
short  of  that  of  some  private  schools  in  the  United  States, 
namely  that  of  Hackley  vSchool,  Tarrytown,  N.  Y.  I  was 
informed,  however,  that  the  Mariano  Moreno  College  does 
not  specialize  in  that  science,  for  those  that  desire  to  get  a 
knowledge  of  chemistry  go  to  the  technical  schools.  A 
feature  of  the  college  is  a  recreation  room  for  the  professors 
and  instructors  in  the  basement.  Its  walls  are  hung  with 
pictures  painted  or  drawn  by  the  professors.  The  enroll- 
ment of  students  is  about  1500  exclusive  of  700  who  are 
taking  a  university  extension  course.  The  faculty  con- 
sists of  about  150  members. 

While  speaking  about  Buenos  Aires,  a  few  words  must 
be  said  about  its  inhabitants  and  their  habits.  The 
Portehos  of  the  higher  classes  differ  but  little  from  those  of 
the  same  social  sphere  the  whole  world  over,  excepting 
that  they  are  more  effeminate  than  the  inhabitants  of  our 
country.  Many  of  the  men  have  perfumed  handker- 
chiefs, and  affect  the  Italian  style  of  moustache.  The 
men  of  the  middle  classes,  in  attire  ape  the  aristocracy, 
but  their  habits  are  infinitely  more  dirty.  With  them  a 
bath  is  an  event.  When  these  Argentinos  take  a  bath 
they  splash  water  around  and  make  a  great  noise  about  it 
so  that  the  people  the  other  side  of  the  partitions  can  hear 
them  at  their  ablutions.  They  also  spout  and  snort  and 
make  a  great  noise  every  time  they  wash  their  faces, 
especially  if  anybody  is  looking.  This  also  applies  to 
certain  men  who  mingle  in  the  highest  social  circles.  I 
know  a  man  of  great  prominence  in  Buenos  Aires  who 
every  time  he  took  a  bath  would  tell  everybody  he  chanced 
to  meet  about  it.  He  met  me  one  day  on  the  street  as  I 
was  coming  out  of  the  Majestic  Hotel. 

"How  are  you?"  I  asked  as  a  customary  form  of 
greeting. 


50  Journeys  and  Experiences 

"I'm  feeling  fine,"  he  replied.  "I  just  had  a  nice  cold 
bath." 

A  few  minutes  later  as  we  were  walking  down  the 
Avenida  we  met  another  acquaintance. 

"Good  morning,  vSenor , "   quoth  the  third  party. 

"You  are  looking  fine  to-day." 

"No  wonder,"  answered  the  first  Argentino,  "for  I  have 
just  gotten  out  of  the  bath  tub." 

"How  strange,  I  also  have  just  had  a  bath." 

The  habits  of  the  middle  and  lower  classes  throughout 
Argentina  are  very  filthy.  Clean  toilets  are  unknown 
outside  of  a  few  of  the  best  hotels  and  cafes  of  Buenos 
Aires  and  a  few  of  the  other  large  cities.  In  the  Hotel 
Colon  in  Buenos  Aires,  two  men  were  hired  constantly 
just  to  keep  the  toilet  clean  and  they  did  this  job  well. 

The  men  of  the  lower  classes  bathe  more  frequently 
than  those  of  the  upper  and  middle  classes  and  some  are 
really  fine  swimmers.  These  are  mostly  Italians,  Spani- 
ards, and  natives  who  do  the  work  and  are  the  backbone  of 
the  Argentine  nation  as  they  have  not  become  affected  by 
contact  with  those  of  the  middle  classes. 

There  arc  in  Buenos  Aires  many  Jews  of  Galician  origin. 
Their  ghetto  is  on  the  streets,  named  Junin,  Ayacucho, 
and  Ombii,  but  they  are  likewise  scattered  all  over  the 
city.  Many  wear  corkscrew  sideburns,  which  they  smear 
with  grease  and  fondle  lovingly  as  they  converse  with  you. 
These  vile  Kikes  are  mostly  in  the  lottery  ticket  and  retail 
tobacco  business.  They  have  native  employees  whom  they 
send  out  on  the  street  to  hawk  lottery  tickets  on  com- 
mission. This  lottery  business  is  overdone.  There  are 
too  many  drawings.  One  takes  place  every  week  and  it  is 
only  occasionally  that  there  is  a  drawing  with  high  enough 
premiums  to  make  it  worth  while  purchasing  them. 
Lottery  is  a  good  institution  if   properly  regulated,  but 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     51 

the  annoyance  that  everybody  is  subjected  to  in  Buenos 
Aires  by  the  peddlers  of  the  tickets  soon  makes  a  person 
wish  that  such  an  institution  did  not  exist.  Not  only 
are  the  tickets  of  the  Benificencia  Nacional  sold  about 
the  streets,  but  also  those  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires 
which  has  drawings  at  La  Plata,  those  of  the  Province  of 
Tucuman,  those  of  Cordoba,  San  Juan,  and  even  of 
Montevideo. 

These  Buenos  Aires  Jews  are  the  lowest  class  of  riffraff. 
Their  nasty  children  peddle  strings  of  garlic  from  door  to 
door.  The  adults  are  always  gesticulating  and  trying  to 
cheat  the  stranger. 

Regarding  the  morals,  the  average  Porteiio  of  the  middle 
class  cannot  be  called  immoral.  He  is  unmoral  because 
he  never  had  any  morals  to  begin  with.  His  conversation 
invariably  takes  a  lascivious  turn  which  shows  how  his 
thoughts  runs.  Seduction,  feminine  figures,  adultery,  etc., 
are  his  favorite  themes  of  conversation. 

Many  of  the  women  of  Buenos  Aires  are  beautiful. 
Nowhere  have  I  seen  such  fine-looking  women,  excepting 
in  Santiago,  Chile,  and  in  Budapest.  They  carry  them- 
selves well  and  also  know  how  to  dress.  Their  figures  and 
taste  are  such  that  they  can  make  the  poorest  material 
look  well  on  them.  Their  average  stature  is  that  of  our 
North  American  women;  most  of  the  young  Portehas  are 
neither  fat  nor  slim,  but  medium.  They  have  wonderful 
black  eyes  and  well  developed  busts.  It  is  rare  to  see  a 
poor  figure.  It  really  is  a  treat  to  sit  in  front  of  a  cafe  on 
the  Avenida  and  watch  them  walk  by.  There  was  one 
beautiful  girl  that  took  the  fancy  of  every  man  that  saw 
her.  She  worked  in  an  office  and  every  day  at  noon  she 
would  pass  the  Tortoni ;  she  would  repeat  this  again  about 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening.  This  girl  was  about  nineteen 
years  old  and  the  dainty  way  she  tripped  along  absolutely 


52       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

unconscious  of  her  grace  made  the  men  rave  about  her. 
One  noon  as  she  walked  by  bound  for  home,  I  followed  her 
a  quarter  of  a  block  behind  her.  My  intentions  were  to 
find  out  where  she  lived  and  try  to  arrange  to  get  an  intro- 
duction because  she  quite  fascinated  me.  I  found  out 
that  she  lived  with  her  parents  on  Calle  Montevideo.  I 
had  a  friend  who  lived  in  the  block  beyond  her  in  Calle 
Rodriguez  Pena,  but  unfortunately  when  I  called  on  him 
to  arrange  for  an  introduction,  I  found  out  that  he  was  on 
a  business  trip  to  northern  Argentina  and  was  not  expected 
back  for  a  month.  As  I  intended  leaving  in  a  few  weeks,  I 
was  doomed  to  disappointment  and  had  to  swallow  my 
chagrin  and  content  myself  with  gazing  at  her  from  the 
table  in  front  of  the  Tortoni  when  she  passed  by. 

The  amusements  of  Buenos  Aires  are  few.  Of  course 
there  are  some  very  high-class  dance  halls  with  restaurants 
in  connection  such  as  Armenonville,  but  the  hours  are  too 
late  when  life  begins  there. 

The  race  track  of  the  Jockey  Club  is  the  best  in  the 
world,  and  races  are  held  every  Thursday  and  Sunday, 
but  one  soon  gets  tired  of  continually  going  to  the  races. 
The  betting  is  by  mutuals.  There  are  some  baseball  and 
cricket  teams  in  Buenos  Aires  which  hold  matches  and 
games  on  Sunday  afternoons.  The  players  are  English, 
American,  and  Canadian  residents  of  Buenos  Aires  who 
clerk  in  the  banks  and  in  the  great  importing  houses. 
The  article  of  baseball  they  put  out  is  ludicrous,  and  they 
draw  no  attendance.  A  good  primary  school  at  home 
could  trim  them. 

The  pleasantest  of  all  pastimes  in  and  about  Buenos 
Aires  is  boating  at  Tigre.  This  little  town,  the  Argentine 
Henley,  is  twenty-one  miles  north  of  the  capital  and  is 
reached  by  half-hourly  service  by  the  Central  Argentina 
Railway.     Strange  to  say  at  this  time  of  writing  (191 7)  no 


53 


54  Journeys  and  Experiences 

electric  line  has  yet  been  built  between  the  two  places. 
Tigre  is  on  the  Las  Conchas  River  where  it  empties  into 
the  Lujan.  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  La  Plata.  It  is 
thronged  on  Sundays  by  crowds  from  the  city,  who  besides 
rowing  and  canoeing,  also  take  in  the  pageant  from  the 
awninged  verandas  of  the  Tigre  Hotel. 

Most  Argentinos  do  not  care  much  for  North  Americans 
although  they  are  invariably  polite  to  them.  It  appears 
that  -there  is  a  chord  of  jealousy  somewhere  against  our 
nation.  Some  of  this  gentry  have  the  gall  to  think  that 
Argentina  is  the  greatest  nation  on  earth  and  these  ideas 
are  taught  them  in  school.  I  have  known  inhabitants  of 
Buenos  Aires  who  believe  that  Argentina  could  whip  the 
United  States  in  a  war,  although  most  of  them  have  an 
unwholesome  fear  of  Chile.  The  British  nation  was  not 
especially  popular  with  Argentina  because  in  1833  it  took 
the  Falkland  Islands  from  them.  In  191 6  Great  Britain 
seized  a  couple  of  Argentine  vessels  which  it  claimed 
were  taking  contraband  to  the  Central  Powers.  An  anti- 
British  demonstration  occurred  on  the  streets  of  Buenos 
Aires  most  of  the  participants  in  which  were  students. 
Several  were  cut  by  sabers  in  the  hands  of  the  police  but 
this  affray  did  not  prevent  roughnecks  from  yelling  at 
Americans  and  calling  them  names,  mistaking  them  for 
Englishmen.  I  unfortunately  was  a  victim  of  these 
insults,  as  I  was  driving  one  night  in  the  Plaza  de  Mayo. 
Even  though  Great  Britain  was  not  popular,  neither  was 
Germany  a  favorite  as  can  be  testified  by  the  depredations 
on  property  of  German  ownership.  On  the  night  of 
Saturday,  April  14,  1917,  a  street  mob  attacked  the 
offices  of  two  German  newspapers.  La  Uiiion  and  Deutsche 
La  Plata  Zeitiing,  and  broke  all  the  windows.  This  same 
mob  also  demolished  the  delicatessen  store  of  P.  Warck- 
meister   at   555   Calle   Sarmicnto.     A   few  months  later. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     55 

following  Count  Luxburg's  iniquity,  the  mob  wrecked  the 
Club  Aleman,  and  tried  to  burn  it. 

Thirty  miles  south  of  Buenos  Aires,  is  La  Plata,  the 
capital  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires  and  which  has  a 
population  of  about  120,000  inhabitatns.  Till  1880  the 
city  of  Buenos  Aires  was  the  capital  of  the  province  of 
the  same  name,  but  in  that  year  it  detached  itself  from  the 


Station  of  the  Southern  Railway,  La  Plata 


province  and  became  the  Federal  Capital.  The  province, 
now  lacking  a  capital,  decided  to  build  one,  and  a  site  hav- 
ing been  chosen  and  the  plans  for  the  laying  out  of  a  city 
having  been  approved  of,  the  city  of  La  Plata  was  formally 
founded  and  created  capital  of  the  Province  of  Buenos 
Aires,  November  29,  1882.  In  1885  the  population  of 
the  city  was  13,869.  The  census  of  1909  gave  it  95,126  in- 
habitants while  that  of  1916  gave  it  1 1 1 ,401 ;  the  total  for 
the  commune  being  136,026. 

La  Plata  is  a  dull,  sleepy  city  of  broad  streets  and  low 
houses  of  light  brown  and  cream-colored  hues,  with  little 


56 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


shade.  The  sun's  hot  rays  scorch  the  pedestrian  as  he 
walks  over  the  sizzhng  pavement  of  the  ultra-quiet  and 
tomblike  town.  I  have  known  people  who,  however,  pre- 
fer La  Plata  to  Buenos  Aires,  but  I  cannot  comprehend 
how  a  person  can  live  there  and  not  die  of  ennui.  It  is 
laid  out  much  on  the  order  of  Washington  with  broad 


Old  Railway  Station,  La  Plata 


angling    avenues    cutting   off   slices  of  square    and  rec- 
tangular blocks. 

The  most  artistic  building  in  the  city  is  the  station 
of  the  Southern  Railway.  It  is  an  oeuvre  of  M.  Faure- 
Dujarric,  the  Frenchman  who  was  the  architect  for  the 
grandstand  of  the  Jockey  Club  at  Palermo  Park.  It  is  a 
long  and  narrow  white  edifice  with  an  artistic  fa(;ade  sur- 
mounted by  a  dome  of  bright  green  tiles.  Its  restaurant 
is  said  to  be  the  best  in  La  Plata,  although  I  cannot  verify 
this  statement.  La  Plata  used  to  have  another  railway 
station,  even  larger  than  the  present  one,  and  more 
centrally  located.     Why  it  was  abandoned  I  never  knew, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     57 

but  it  stands  downtown  on  one  of  the  principal  squares, 
absolutely  deserted,  its  lon<^^  dun-colored  fagade  an  eye- 
sore to  passers-by. 

Some  of  the  largest  and  costliest  edifices  in  the  republic 
are  in  this  capital  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  but 


Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation,  La  Plata 


nearly  all  are  weather-beaten  and  appear  much  better  in 
photograph  than  they  do  in  the  original.  In  many  cases 
the  stucco  has  fallen  off  in  places,  exposing  the  rough  red 
bricks  of  poor  quality.  Some  of  the  facades  are  stained 
and  blackened  by  exposure  but  nothing  has  been  done  to 
remedy  them.  The  whole  city  is  evidently  laid  out  on  too 
grand  a  scale,  and  something  was  started  that  is  hard  to 
finish.    The  Capitol,  the  governor's  residence,  the  city  hall, 


58 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


the  Argentine  theater,  the  courthouse,  and  many  other 
buildings  are  far  too  large  for  the  present  need  of  the  city, 
and  by  the  time  La  Plata  has  grown  to  a  size  where  such 
buildings  will  be  adequate  (it  is  doubtful  if  it  ever  will) 
they  will  have  long  been  out  of  style  and  antique. 

Even  the  cathedral,  if  completed,  would  be  too  grandiose. 
It  was  started  years  ago,  but  is  at  present  in  the  unfinished 


Bank  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  La  Plata 


state  as  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  photograph.  The 
money  gave  out,  and  to-day  it  stands  on  an  important 
plaza,  a  hideous  frame  of  cheap  brick,  bearing  no  similarity 
to  the  elegant  place  of  worship  it  was  intended  to  be. 
This  tendency  to  start  to  erect  a  fine  building,  get  it  half 
up,  and  then  neglect  it,  is  characteristic  of  all  countries 
where  Spanish  rule  has  once  dominated.  For  instance,  in 
the  same  way  is  the  Matriz  church  in  Chilian,  Chile,  the 
Oratory  of  Lopez  in  Asuncion,  the  church  of  the  Encar- 
nacion  at  Asuncion,  a  church  in  Posadas,  one  in  San  Luis, 
and  the  most  striking  example  of  all,  the  church  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     59 

Sagrada   Familia  in  Barcelona,  Spain.     In  the  plaza  in 
front  of  the  unfinished  cathedral  are  some  marble  statues, 


Allegorical  Statue  of  La  Plata 

the  best  of  which  is  that  representing  the  great  Argentine 
river  system  and  named  La  Plata.     It  is  an  allegorical 


6o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

female  figure  with  a  horn  of  plenty  from  which  are  spilling 
fruit  and  vegetables,  while  beneath  her  are  bundles  of 
wheat. 

The  diocese  of  La  Plata,  which  comprises  the  Province  of 
Buenos  Aires  and  the  territory  of  the  Pampa,  is  the  richest 


Unfinished  Cathedral,  La  Plata 

in  Argentina.  It  was  created  in  1896,  and  has  as  a  bishop. 
Dr.  Juan  N.  Terreno,  who  has  held  that  office  since  1900. 
This  man  is  a  great  power  in  Argentine  politics. 

There  are  numerous  large  banks  in  La  Plata,  the  largest 
of  which  is  that  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires.  Regard- 
ing hotels,  the  best  is  the  Sportsman  with  good  restaurant. 
The  restaurant  of  the  Hotel  Argentina  is  second  class. 
The  food  is  greasy  and  is  sj^rinkled  with  flies  which 
become  ensnared  in  the  meshes  of  the  oil  in  which  the 
ragouts  and  filets  literally  float. 

Outside  of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  which  has 
an  admirable  collection  of  fishes,  the  zoological  garden, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     6i 

the  wonderful  eucalyptus  avenue,  and  a  charming  park, 
there  is  in  La  Plata  nothing  to  interest  the  stranger. 

The  city  owes  its  importance  to  its  port  Ensenada,  about 
five  miles  distant  and  to  which  is  dug  a  basin  where  ships 
laden  with  grain  and  canned  meats  sail  for  North  America 
and  European  ports.  From  here  also  in  order  to  avoid 
the  congestion  in  the  Darsenas  and  in  the  Riacheulo  at 
Buenos  Aires,  passenger  ships  sail,  notably  the  Lamport 
&  Holt  Line,  which  keeps  up  a  direct  passenger  service 
between  Burnos  Aires  and  New  York.  On  this  basin  are 
two  large  beef-packing  establishments,  that  of  Armour 
and  that  of  Swift. 


CHAPTER  III 


SAN  LUIS 


The  average  stranger  coming  to  the  United  States  to 
see  the  country  very  seldom  pays  a  visit  to  an  obscure 
state  capital.  The  very  contrary  to  this  is  what  I  did 
after  I  had  been  but  little  over  a  week  in  Buenos  Aires, 
as  I  maintain  that  the  only  way  to  see  a  foreign  country 
properly  is  to  avoid  the  show  places  and  get  out  among  the 
people  in  the  smaller  cities.  Knowing  that  San  Luis  was 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  main  line  of  the  Buenos 
Aires  Pacific  Railway  between  Buenos  Aires  and  Mendoza, 
and  is  reached  by  one  through  train  daily  in  each  direction, 
I  decided  to  stop  off  there. 

I  left  Buenos  Aires  at  three  o'clock  one  afternoon  when 
the  thermometer  registered  100.4^  Fahrenheit  and  was 
soon  traversing  the  flat  landscape  remindful  of  the  valley 
of  the  River  Po.  The  white,  cream-colored  tile-roofed 
houses,  the  small  vineyards  and  vegetable  gardens,  the 
long  rows  of  Lombardy  poplars,  and  the  oxen  hitched  to 
the  wagons  on  the  country  roads  presented  a  picture  that 
could  just  as  well  be  that  of  northern  Italy  as  that  of  the 
Province  of  Buenos  Aires.  Nearly  everywhere  in  eastern 
Argentina  where  the  country  is  well  settled,  the  landscape 
is  decidedly  Italian,  due  largely  to  the  presence  of  the 
trees  indigenous  to  the  Po  Valley,  originally  brought 
there  by  immigrants  from  that  part  of  Europe. 

62 


63 


64  Journeys  and  Experiences 

The  train  I  was  on  was  a  very  poor  one,  the  first-class 
comi^artments  being  no  better  than  third-class  ones  in 
Germany.  Thirty-four  miles  out  of  Buenos  Aires,  we 
reached  the  town  of  Pilar,  which  lies  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  railroad.  Its  station  is  the  terminus  of  the 
Buenos  Aires  suburban  trains.  Eight  miles  farther  on 
is  seen  on  the  crest  of  a  rise  of  ground  to  the  south,  the 
insane  asylum  of  Open  Door,  a  model  of  its  kind.  The 
method  employed  for  the  treatment  of  the  patients  is 
freedom  from  restraint,  with  the  privilege  to  do  what  they 
please  as  long  as  they  keep  within  bounds.  The  originator 
of  this  method  of  handling  the  insane  believes  that  by 
allowing  them  to  follow  out  their  whims,  they  will  eventu- 
ally become  tired  of  them,  and  that  the  confinement 
of  the  demented  prisoners  tends  to  aggravate  their  condi- 
tion. This  theory  which  he  put  into  practice  has  had 
good  results. 

Mercedes,  seventy  miles  from  Buenos  Aires,  with  a 
population  of  thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  is  the  junction 
of  three  railroads,  the  Central  of  Buenos  Aires,  the  Western, 
and  the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest 
cities  in  the  republic  and  is  the  stamping  ground  of  Irish 
settlers  who  drifted  in  here  a  few  generations  ago  and 
have  become  rich.  Unlike  most  Argentine  cities,  its 
streets  are  numbered.  Chacabuco,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one  miles  from  the  capital,  was  reached  about  7.30 
P.M.  It  is  a  stock-breeding  center  and  is  in  the  midst  of 
a  rich  agricultural  district.  One  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
miles  from  Buenos  Aires  is  Junin,  an  important  small  town 
from  which  leads  a  branch  of  the  Central  Argentina  Rail- 
way to  Pergamino  and  Rosario.  The  place  was  formerly 
called  Fuerte  Federacion  from  a  fort  on  the  Salado  River. 
As  late  as  1876  it  was  attacked  by  Indians,  the  last  attack 
having  been  made  on  December  loth  of  that  year  under 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     65 

the  leadership  of  Pincen.  The  Indians  were  badly  defeated 
and  fled,  leaving  behind  all  the  stock  they  had  stolen  on 
the  way.  A  man  from  Junin  who  sat  directly  across  the 
table  from  me  in  the  dining  car  informed  me  that  farm 
lands  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  city  were  selling  at  as 
high  as  three  hundred  pesos  a  hectare.  That  would  make 
common  prairie  land  worth   there   fifty  dollars  an  acre. 


Street  in  San  Luis 


During  the  night  we  crossed  a  corner  of  the  Province  of 
Santa  Fe  at  Rufino  where  the  dining  car  was  taken  off. 
The  train  then  traversed  the  southern  part  of  the  Province 
of  Cordoba  and  entered  the  Province  of  San  Luis  in  the 
early  morning. 

Excepting  the  capital,  Villa  Mercedes,  which  was 
reached  at  7  a.m.,  is  the  only  place  of  importance  in  the 
Province  of  San  Luis.  It  is  a  well  laid  out  little  city  with 
a  fairly  good  hotel,  the  Marconi.  It  was  here  that  I 
was  met  by  J.  D.  O'Brien  of  Detroit  who  remained  with 
me  for  some  time  in  the  capacity  of  servant.  He  had  been 
gymnasium  steward  on  the   Vaiiban,  and  not  liking  the 


66 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


British  ship's  officers,  took  French  leave  at  Buenos  Aires, 
and  decided  to  try  his  luck  in  Argentina.  I  needed  a 
servant  as  I  had  considerable  baggage  so  decided  to  hire 
him.  He  dropped  his  grip  over  the  railing  of  the  ship's 
deck  one  night  when  nobody  was  watching,  and  fearing 


Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation,  San  Luis 


arrest  because  he  had  quit  the  ship  after  signing  a  con- 
tract to  make  a  round  trip,  thought  it  would  be  better  to 
get  into  the  country  until  after  the  Vaiiban  had  sailed. 
Therefore  I  had  him  precede  me  on  the  journey,  he  going 
to  Villa  Mercedes  the  day  before.  Dr.  M.  de  Iriondo, 
president  of  the  Bank  o£  the  Argentine  Nation,  had  given 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     67 

me  a  letter  to  the  manager  of  its  branch  bank  in  Villa 
Mercedes,  but  unfortunately  I  did  not  stop  off  there. 

There  was  a  remarkable  change  in  temperature  com- 
pared with  the  previous  day,  because  it  was  now  cool  and 
windy.  The  country  that  we  now  traversed  was  very 
much  like  that  of  eastern  Wyoming,  only  the  soil  was 
better.  There  seemed  to  be  a  lack  of  water.  Cattle 
grazed  the  endless  pampa;  here  and  there  buttes  and 
mountains  rose  from  the  plains,  their  sides  covered  with 
coarse  grass  and  sagebrush.  At  the  wayside  stations  were 
halfbreeds  in  ponchos,  strong,  good-looking  fellows.  Pre- 
sently the  mountains  came  down  to  the  railroad  track 
and  we  were  in  a  sort  of  an  oasis  watered  by  the  Chorillo 
River. 

San  Luis,  the  capital  of  the  thinly  settled  province  of  the 
same  name,  is  493  miles  west  of  Buenos  Aires.  It  is  a 
poor,  unpretentious,  and  uninteresting  town  of  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants  with  nothing  to  attract  the  ordinary 
tourist.  Its  buildings,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  on  the 
main  streets,  seldom  attain  a  height  of  over  one  story 
and  are  for  the  most  part  built  of  coarse  red  brick,  which 
here  sell  for  28  pesos  ($11.96)  a  thousand.  Many 
of  these  brick  buildings  are  plastered  over,  but  most 
are  not,  giving  them  but  a  half  finished  appearance  on 
account  of  the  poor  masonry.  The  original  idea  of  the 
man  who  builds  a  house  in  most  of  the  cities  of  the  repub- 
lic is  to  eventually  have  the  brick  stuccoed  over,  but  it  is 
frequently  the  case  that  his  money  gives  out,  before  he  gets 
that  far,  and  he  has  to  forego  that  luxury.  There  is  also  a 
considerable  number  of  adobe  buildings.  These  are  mostly 
in  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  I  also  saw  a  few  huts  in  the 
outlying  districts  whose  roofs  were  thatched. 

There  are  no  large  fortunes  in  San  Luis  although  my 
informants  told  me  that  there  might  be  one  or  two  men 


68 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


who  could  boast  of  possessing  the  equivaleni  of  one  million 
pesos  paper  ($427,000.00).  There  are  only  seven  auto- 
mobiles in  the  city,  two  of  them  being  Cases;  two  are 
Fords.     The  only  one  that  I  saw  was  of  the  last-named 


Capitol,  San  Luis 

manufacture.  When  asked  if  the  governor  of  the  pro- 
vince, Senor  Juan  Daract.  possessed  one,  I  was  told  he 
was  too  poor  to  own  one,  although  his  monthh'  salary' 
is  750  pesos  paper  ($320.25).  This  would  make  his  yearly 
salary  from  governmental  sources  $3843.00.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  see  horses  sell  so  cheaply,  mediocre  hack  ones 
bringing  only  thirteen  dollars  apiece.  Good  mules  aver- 
aged about  thirty-two  dollars  each. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     69 

None  of  the  streets  of  the  city  are  paved.  On  the  main 
one,  San  Martin,  there  are  several  good  buildings,  the  Bank 
of  the  Argentine  Nation  being  the  best.  It  is  the  newest. 
The  post  office,  the  Federal  Court,  and  the  custom  house 
are  also  possible,  although  they  are  but  one  story  high. 
Nobody  should  overlook  the  Casa  de  Gobierno  or  Capitol, 
which  is  in  a  class  by  itself.  Its  Renaissance  fagade, 
which  faces  the  Plaza  San  Martin,  and  its  side  which  faces 
one  of  the  main  streets  contain  sockets  for  nine  thousand 
electric  light  bulbs.  When  the  building  is  lighted  up  in 
all  its  external  brilliancy,  the  electric  meter  which  controls 
the  other  lights  of  the  city  has  to  be  shut  off  because  the 
electrical  plant  has  not  power  enough  to  keep  them  both 
going  at  the  same  time.  So  much  money  was  expended  on 
the  lavish  decorations  of  the  Capitol  that  there  was  not 
enough  left  to  furnish  the  building. 

The  two  large  plazas,  Pringles  and  San  Martin,  each 
contain  an  equestrian  statue  in  bronze  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  heroes  of  their  nomenclature.  General 
Pringles,  the  popular  local  hero,  was  born  here.  The 
square  that  bears  his  name  is  the  handsomest  in  the  city. 
It  is  bordered  by  giant  pepper  trees  whose  fragrance  per- 
fumes the  air.  Facing  it  is  the  huge  unfinished  brick 
basilica,  the  Matriz,  the  white  dome  of  which  is  a  land- 
mark for  quite  a  distance,  and  is  visible  from  all  parts  of 
the  city.  By  the  side  of  the  Matriz  on  the  Calle  Pringles 
stands  a  small  algorroba  tree  scarcely  twenty  feet  high. 
It  is  enclosed  by  an  iron  railing  and  is  held  in  much  rever- 
ence by  the  inhabitants  of  San  Luis,  because  to  this  tree, 
the  Guerrero,  General  Jose  de  San  Martin,  tied  his  horse 
in  18 1 6  on  his  westward  march  to  Chile,  where  he  over- 
threw the  Spanish  dominion  at  the  battles  of  Chacabuco 
and  Maipu. 

There  is  an  interesting  old  church  in  San  Luis,  that  of 


'O 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


Santo  Domingo.  It  is  of  Mission  style  of  architecture, 
and  in  many  respects  is  similar  to  San  Gabriel  Mission 
near  Pasadena,  California.     Taken  as  a  whole,  San  Luis 


Matriz  Church,  San  Luis 

The  tree  in  the  distance  is  an  algorroba.     To  it  San  Martin  tied  his  horse  in  i8  i6  mi  his 
westward  march  across  the  Andes  to  Chile 


differs  much  from  most  Argentine  cities.  Its  buildings  are 
of  a  decided  Spanish  colonial  type  of  architecture.  The 
city  has  an  antique  appearance  and  is  nearly  gravelike  as 
to  tranquillity. 

When  I  stepped  out  of  the  fine  spick  and  span,  five-year- 
old  depot,  I  was  in  a  dilemma  regarding  which  hotel  to  go 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     71 

to.  My  guide  book,  which  I  never  trust,  and  which  I  only- 
look  at  when  I  desire  to  kill  time,  favored  the  Espanol;  the 
landlord  of  the  Marconi  at  Villa  Mercedes  recommended 
to  O'Brien  the  Royal;  the  sleeping-car  conductor  on  the 
train  praised  the  Comercio;  the  cab  driver  extolled  the 
Mitre,  so  thither  I  went.  The  German  photographer, 
Streich,  whom  I  met  later  in  the  day,  boosted  the  Pringles, 
whose  landlady  is  German. 

The  Mitre,  which  is  owned  by  Perez  and  Iglesias,  is 
leased  to  two  brothers  whose  prenomens  are  Pedro  and 
Juan ;  nobody  seems  to  know  their  patronymics,  although 
many  persons  seemed  to  be  on  intimate  terms  with  them. 
I  later  found  out  that  their  surname  is  Negera.  When  the 
fat,  loquacious  cab  driver  stopped  in  front  of  their  one-story 
hotel,  he  announced  my  arrival  by  bawling  out  "Pedro!" 
The  person  addressed  came  slouching  out  of  the  barroom, 
unkempt  and  unshaven,  and  despite  the  earliness  of  the 
morning  fairly  drunk.  He  reeked  of  alcohol.  I  thought 
he  was  the  porter  until  differently  informed.  Several 
times  in  the  course  of  the  morning  he  came  into  my  room 
out  of  curiosity,  each  time  making  an  excuse.  In  the 
early  afternoon  he  sobered  up,  shaved,  and  donned  a 
tuxedo.  Drunk  or  sober,  Pedro  was  a  worker.  He 
waited  on  the  table,  tended  bar,  made  the  beds,  swept  the 
rooms,  and  assisted  in  the  cooking,  besides  doing  errands 
for  the  guests.  I  never  saw  a  better  hotel  man.  The 
rooms  opened  onto  the  patios  and  were  kept  scrupulously 
clean,  excepting  the  privy,  and  even  that  was  much  cleaner 
than  in  nipst  rural  South  American  towns.  The  chickens 
had  taken  refuge  in  it  to  keep  away  from  the  lean  cats, 
which  eyed  them  voraciously.  Several  times  I  had  to 
drive  a  yellow  cat  out  of  my  bedroom.  The  food  would 
hardly  remind  an  epicure  of  the  menu  of  Oscar  of  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  but  as  there  were  many  people  eating  it 


/- 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


in  the  lon^  rectangular  dining  room  with  its  twenty-five- 
feet -high  ceiling.  I  imagine  it  was  wholesome.  Despite 
the  coldness  of  the  weather  (the  temperature  was  no  more 
than  60""  Fahrenheit,  a  drop  of  40°  from  the  temperature 
of  Buenos  Aires  the  day  before)  flies  abounded  in  m}'  bed- 
room and  in  the  country  were  myriads  of  locusts. 

Speaking  of  the  yellow  cat  that  persisted  in  occupying 
my  bedroom,  Argentine  and  Chilean  animals  have  a 
penchant  for  human  society.  They  seem  to  take  delight 
in  crawling  under  the  beds  and  other  furniture,  and  no 
matter  how  often  they  are  driven  out  they  persist  in 
returning.  A  peculiar  incident  of  this  nature  befell  an 
acquaintance  of  mine,  Mr.  Osmond  of  Rosario.  Mr. 
Osmond  has  lived  many  years  in  Argentina  and  his  busi- 
ness frequently  takes  him  into  the  Campo,  as  the  flat,  end- 
less pampa  is  called.  On  one  occasion  he  stopped  at  an 
inn  no  difTerent  from  the  general  run  of  inns  found  in  all 
the  small  towns  of  Argentina.  A  fat  sow  entered  his  room 
from  the  patio  as  he  sat  writing.  He  drove  her  out. 
Several  times  during  the  afternoon  he  had  to  repeat  the 
performance  as  the  sow  was  bound  to  occupy  his  room. 
As  he  lay  asleep  that  night  he  was  awakened  by  a  rumpus 
beneath  his  bed,  and  lighting  a  candle  to  find  out  the 
cause  of  the  nocturnal  disturbance  of  his  slumbers,  dis- 
covered that  the  sow  had  crawled  under  his  bed  and  had 
given  birth  to  a  litter  of  pigs. 

The  country  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  vSan 
Luis  is  extremely  fertile,  although  sometimes  it  only  rains 
once  in  a  year.  The  Chorillos  River,  which  rises  in  the 
Sierra  de  San  Luis,  is  dammed,  and  the  water  is  drawn  off 
by  conduits.  The  main  dam  is  seven  miles  east  of  the  city 
and  I  drove  out  there  to  see  it.  The  road  passes  by  the 
barracks  and  continues  by  fine  fields  of  blue  blossomed 
alfalfa  in  which  fat  cattle  and  horses  arc  grazing  knee-high. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     73 

There  is  a  primitive  park  on  the  left  of  the  road  in  whieh 
is  an  artificial  lake,  on  which  swains  enjoy  taking  their 
innamoratas  for  rowboat  rides.     A  crude  attempt  at  ini- 


Estancia  near  San  Luis 

tiating  a  zoological  garden  is  borne  out  by  two  pens,  one 
of  which  contains  a  three-footed  hen,  the  other  one  being 
the  prison  of  two  sabors,  or  Argentine  lionesses  from  the 
Sierra  de  San  Luis.  A  stranger  is  surprised  at  the  number 
of  fine-looking  saddle  horses  met  on  the  roads.  Nearly 
everybody  rides  horseback,  many  with  good  grace  and 
ease  of  movements.  The  gentry  use  English  saddles ;  the 
poorer  classes  use  those  of  Moorish  type.     The  cab  drivers 


74  Journeys  and  Experiences 

as  well  as  the  horsemen  gallop  their  animals  through  the 
streets  at  a  mad  pace. 

The  air  of  San  Luis  is  healthy  and  invigorating.  I  was 
surprised  to  note  the  great  number  of  old  people  to  be  seen 
in  the  cit}'  and  its  environs.  In  this  respect  it  is  exactly 
the  reverse  of  Buenos  Aires.  The  men  and  women  are 
fine  looking;  the  girls  are  beautiful  with  their  laughing 
black  eyes,  their  faces  brown  from  the  sun  and  wind,  with 
a  touch  of  rosiness  to  their  cheeks;  their  figures  are  like- 
wise good.  Argentinos  and  Spaniards  alike  call  the 
native-born  criollos  or  criollas,  according  to  sex,  the  word 
meaning  Creoles.  It  is  by  no  means  a  word  of  contempt. 
There  is  quite  a  strain  of  Indian  blood  among  the  inhabi- 
tants. Seeing  some  dark-skinned  people  by  the  roadside, 
I  asked  my  driver  if  they  were  Indians.  He  laughed  as  he 
answered : ' ' Son  Criollos  como  yo.  Son  cristianos.  "  ("  They 
are  natives  like  myself.  They  are  Christians.  ")  The  word 
Indio,  meaning  Indian,  is  one  of  contempt  and  applies  only 
to  the  members  of  the  pagan  and  uncivilized  tribes. 

There  is  much  natural  wealth  in  the  mountains  of  the 
province,  gold,  silver,  and  sulphur,  but  nobod}^  cares  to  take 
the  initiative  about  exploiting  them.  The  unsettled  coun- 
try greatl}'  resembles  the  unfertile  parts  of  California,  it 
being  a  wilderness  of  mesquite,  chaparral,  wild  sage,  and 
juniper.  There  is  also  much  cactus,  the  varieties  ranging 
from  the  prickly  pear  to  the  Spanish  bayonet.  Every- 
where that  water  strikes  the  ground,  wild  flowers  and  vines 
spring  up  in  rank  confusion,  the  wild  cucumber  l:)eing 
common.  One  of  the  native  bushes  has  pods  on  it  like  a 
bean,  about  the  same  size  and  s]ia])c,  l)ut  rather  oily.  Of 
the  fruit  trees,  the  apricot  is  cultivated ;  grape  vines  grow 
to  a  large  size,  but  their  fruit  is  inferior  to  that  of  Mendoza. 

Although  the  inhabitant  of  the  central  provinces  of 
Argentina  is  invariably  of  mixed  l)lood,  and  is  lacking  in 


In  x\rgentlna,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     75 

the  culture  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities,  he  is  more  of  a 
gentleman  than  the  majority  of  those  who  belong  to  our 
select  aristocracy.  He  is  patient  but  by  no  means  humble. 
Expecting  no  money  remuneration  for  extending  a  favor  or 
a  courtesy  to  a  stranger,  he  will  willingly  go  out  of  his  way  to 
do  so,  but  spoken  to  gruffly,  will  have  nothing  more  to  do 
with  him.  In  San  Luis  I  asked  a  cab  driver  where  there 
was  a  good  barber  shop.  The  one  he  pointed  out  was 
filled,  so  I  went  out  in  search  of  another  one.  He  saw  me 
and  driving  down  the  street,  overtook  me,  and  offered  to 
drive  me  to  another  one.  Arrived  at  my  destination,  he 
refused  any  remuneration.  The  son  of  Pedro  Nogera, 
the  hotel  proprietor,  acted  as  porter.  Upon  paying  my 
bill,  which  was  trivial  when  compared  with  the  services 
rendered,  I  offered  the  boy  a  small  tip.  He  refused,  say- 
ing that  I  had  paid  for  what  I  had  received.  Who  is  there 
in  such  stations  of  life  at  home  that  would  refuse  a  tip? 
Most  would  be  angry  if  it  was  not  given,  and  if  the  sum  was 
too  small,  would  go  off  grumbling.  One  of  the  peasants 
of  San  Luis  that  I  consider  a  gentleman  was  my  regular 
cab  driver.  Born  in  San  Luis,  he  had  never  been  out  of 
the  province.  His  name  is  Antonio  L.  Rojo.  In  appear- 
ance he  is  of  large  build,  somewhat  coarse,  and  inclined 
to  stoutness.  For  the  sum  of  one  and  a  half  pesos  (6ic.) 
an  hour,  he  agreed  to  drive  me  whenever  and  wherever  I 
wished  to  go.  Although  inclined  to  be  loquacious,  he 
showed  none  of  that  grossness  and  vulgarity  of  character 
that  our  cab  drivers  are  apt  to  demonstrate.  This  man 
knew  his  position  and  was  most  attentive  in  showing 
me  the  points  of  interest  of  the  city  and  neighboring 
country.  He  was  also  well  read  in  politics  but  never 
knocked.  Occasionally  he  would  stop  and  pick  from  the 
roadside  fruit  or  flowers  indigenous  to  the  country  to  show 
me  what  grew  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Luis.     Upon 


76  Journeys  and  Experiences 

leaving  San  Luis,  I  gave  him  a  tip  of  five  pesos  ($2.14). 
This  at  first  he  refused  to  accept  and  only  took  it  finally 
by  my  literally  forcing  it  upon  him.  He  was  so  dehghted 
with  the  money  that  he  took  a  railroad  trip  to  Balde,  nine 
miles  distant,  to  visit  some  relatives,  and  on  the  way  offered 
to  spend  some  of  it  to  treat  me. 

Shortly  after  leaving  San  Luis,  westward  on  the  railroad 
to  Mendoza  there  is  seen  to  the  south  the  large  brackish 
Lake  Bebedero;  it  keeps  in  view  a  considerable  distance. 
The  short  cut  of  the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific  skirts  its  south- 
ern end.  The  second  station  west  of  San  Luis  is  Balde,  a 
collection  of  straw  and  brushwood  huts,  the  abodes  of  the 
peasants.  One  well,  which  supplies  the  whole  community, 
has  been  sunk,  water  having  been  struck  at  a  depth  of 
21 19  feet.  It  is  artesian.  Fifty-one  miles  west  of  San 
Luis,  the  Desaguadero  River,  muddy  and  deep,  lying  in  a 
chasm  between  high  clay  banks,  is  crossed.  This  river 
forms  the  boundary  line  between  the  provinces  of  San  Luis 
and  Mendoza.  The  country  is  a  flat  wilderness  of  mes- 
quite  which  grows  much  larger  than  in  our  southwestern 
States,  probably  on  account  of  the  superiority  of  the  soil, 
which  here  is  a  light  clay.  There  is  a  considerable  amount 
of  alkali,  but  not  in  so  marked  a  degree  as  in  the  western 
plains  of  North  America.  The  mesquite,  which  grows 
to  a  great  size,  some  of  the  trees  having  veritable  trunks, 
is  chopped  and  is  used  as  cord  wood  and  also  as  fuel  on  the 
freight  and  passenger  trains. 

La  Paz,  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Bolivian  metropo- 
lis, nor  with  the  Entrerieno  town  of  the  Parana  River,  is 
reached  shortly  before  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  the 
daily  passenger  from  San  Luis  to  Mendoza.  It  has  two 
thousand  inhabitants  and  is  seventy-four  miles  west  of 
San  Luis  and  eighty-eight  miles  east  of  Mendoza.  It  is 
im])ortant    for   here   begins    the   cultivated   zone   which 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     ii 

extends  as  far  as  the  Andes  and  which  is  known  as  the 
Zona  del  Riego.  The  estancia  Hmits  and  the  country 
roads  are  all  bordered  by  Lombardy  poplar  trees,  planted 
closely  together.  Our  North  American  farmer  who 
plants  his  fence  trees  a  rod  apart  would  be  astonished 
to  here  behold  them  a  yard  apart.  Notwithstanding  their 
proximity  to  one  another,  they  here  attain  a  goodly  height. 
Some  pest  seemed  to  have  attacked  many  of  these  trees. 
Many  of  the  leaves  were  turning  brown  and  the  trees 
dying.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  where  this  species  of  tree 
abounds,  goiter  is  prevalent  among  the  inhabitants.  In 
northern  Italy,  parts  of  Hungary  and  Croatia,  and  in 
certain  sections  of  the  United  States  where  there  are  many 
Lombardy  poplars,  people  are  seen  with  this  affliction. 


CHAPTER  IV 


-MENDOZA 


From  Dr.  A.  R.  Davila,  proprietor  of  La  Prensa,  South 
America's  largest  newspaper,  I  received  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  one  of  Alendoza's  best  known  and  wealthiest 
men,  Dr.  Juan  Carlos  Seru,  a  lawyer  and  country  pro- 
prietor, who  resides  in  a  fine  residence  at  1055  Avenida 
San  Martin.  I  went  to  see  him  to  pay  my  respects  and 
from  him  obtained  some  valuable  information. 

Up  to  the  present  time  viticulture  has  been  the  staple 
industry  of  the  Province  of  Mendoza,  the  landscape  being 
covered  with  vineyards  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  This 
business  has  been  on  such  an  increase  that  it  has  now 
reached  its  climax  for  Mendoza  wines  have  not  been 
exported  out  of  the  country  to  any  extent.  With  the 
opening  up  of  Neuquen  Territory,  which  is  likewise 
adapted  to  the  growing  of  grapes,  the  market  will  be  more 
than  flooded  and  there  will  not  be  much  future  in  the 
business  unless  there  should  be  a  large  export  trade. 
Steps  have  already  been  taken  to  introduce  Mendoza 
wines  into  Brazil  which  have  so  far  met  with  success. 
Since  the  European  war,  the  price  of  grapes  has  dropped 
and  many  of  the  small  j^roprietors  have  been  forced  to 
the  wall.  The  large  ones  and  old  established  firms  have 
managed  to  reap  the  profits.  The  value  of  the  vineyards 
all  depends  on  their  proximity  to  a  railroad  or  to  the  city 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile       79 

of  Mendoza.  Dr.  Seru  owns  seventy  hectares  of  vine- 
yard two  stations  distant  from  San  Rafael,  a  wine  produc- 
ing district  in  the  southern  part  of  the  province,  which  he 
values  at  three  thousand  pesos  paper  to  the  hectare;  this 
would  bring  the  value  of  a  vineyard  at  the  height  of  its 
production  to  approximately  $512.40  an  acre. 

One  of  the  largest  bodegas  (wineries)  is  that  of  Tomba 
y  Sella  in  Godoy  Cruz,  a  suburb  of  Mendoza.  It  was 
originally  a  private  concern  owned  by  Antonio  Tomba. 
A  scrap  among  the  heirs  caused  a  division  and  it  is  now  a 
stock  company  with  Domingo  Tomba  as  president  and 
the  largest  shareholder.  The  wine  is  kept  in  cement 
casks.  The  most  famous  bodega,  although  not  one  of 
the  largest,  is  that  named  Trapiche,  owned  by  the  Benegas 
Brothers,  situated  about  three  miles  southwest  of  Mendoza. 
It  has  agencies  in  Buenos  Aires,  Rosario,  Cordoba,  Tucu- 
man,  Bahia  Blanca,  and  in  Parana.  One  of  the  brothers 
lives  in  Buenos  Aires  where  he  conducts  show  rooms  and  a 
sales  agency  at  420  Calle  Florida,  while  the  others  live  in 
Mendoza,  supervising  the  manufacturing  end.  I  went 
to  their  bodega  with  Mr.  Serii  and  was  shown  through  the 
whole  institution  by  the  manager.  The  vineyard  com- 
prises 538  acres.  The  winery  at  the  time  of  my  visit  w^as 
about  filled  and  has  the  following  capacity: 

Casks  Liters  Total  liters 

4  100,000  400,000 

2  40,000  80,000 

20  30,000  600,000 

60  20,000  1,200,000 

44  10,000  440,000 

30  8,000  240,000 

20  5,000  100,000 

180  213,000  3,060,000 


8o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

To  this  must  be  added  9000  barrels  of  200  liters,  total 
1,800,000  liters,  which  brings  the  grand  total  to  4.860,000 
liters  capacity.  These  9000  barrels  mostly  contain  a 
brand  of  red  wine  named  Reserva  which  sells  for  $51.24  a 
barrel.  The  wine  sold  in  the  bottle  is  i^,  of  a  liter  for  it 
takes  280  bottles  to  fill  the  barrel.  Perkeo  of  Heidelberg 
surely  would  have  had  a  high  old  time  if  turned  loose  in 
the  Trapiche  wine  cellars.  Seven-tenths  bottle  of  ordi- 
nary Reservada  which  retails  in  Mendoza  at  ninety-seven 
cents  is  selling  now  in  Italy  among  the  Mendocino  Italians, 
who  have  returned  home  on  account  of  the  war,  at  $1.76. 
The  Benegas  Brothers  manufacture  seventeen  brands  of 
wine  and  two  brands  of  unfermented  grape  beverage. 
The  manager,  who  showed  me  around,  must  have  thought 
I  had  a  saintly  countenance,  for  when  I  left  the  institution, 
instead  of  handing  me  some  wine  to  sample,  he  poured  out 
for  me  a  tumbler  of  grape  juice.  I  do  not  want  the  readers 
of  this  book  to  draw  the  conclusion  from  this  that  I  left 
Mendoza  without  refreshing  myself  with  some  of  the  real 
article.  The  Tomba  is  the  largest  of  all  the  bodegas,  and 
there  are  many  larger  than  the  Trapiche;  the  Barra  Quero 
being  one  of  them. 

Not  only  do  the  Benegas  Brothers  manufacture  wine 
and  grape  juice,  but  they  have  lately  installed  a  cold- 
storage  system  at  their  plant  for  the  preservation  of  grapes 
which  are  sent  to  Buenos  Aires  and  other  parts  of  the 
country  to  be  eaten  in  the  elite  restaurants  and  in  the 
homes  of  the  wealthy.  One  kilogram  (2H  pounds)  of 
table  grapes  from  their  vineyards  retails  in  Buenos  Aires 
from  56  cts.  to  $2.14  according  to  their  quahty. 

Dr.  Seru,  seeing  the  results  obtained  from  viticulture  in 
this  province  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  conceive  the  idea 
of  growing  fruit  for  canning  as  has  been  done  in  California. 
On  his  estate  near  San  Rafael,  he  had  some  canned  which 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     8i 

he  sent  to  Buenos  Aires  to  compete  with  some  articles 
from  CaHfornia.  His  product  was  found  to  be  superior 
and  to-day  he  has  one  of  the  best  fruity?';/ an-  in  the  repub- 
Hc.  Gath  y  Chaves,  the  great  department  firm  which 
has  branches  in  every  large  town  in  the  republic  have 
decided  to  accept,  for  their  trade,  no  other  brands  than  his. 
This  is  a  big  feather  in  his  cap  because  Gath  y  Chaves  is 
the  largest  firm  of  its  kind  in  South  America.  Dr.  Seru  is 
now  endeavoring  to  get  North  American  capital  interested 
in  Mendocino  lands  for  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  fruit  will 
eventually  supersede  viticulture.  Fruit  lands  average 
about  $51.24  an  acre;  orchards  of  plums,  apricots,  peaches, 
and  pears,  six  years  old,  will  cost  the  purchaser  $683.20 
an  acre.  These  figures  are  nearly  exact  regarding  their 
present  worth  (191 7),  and  if  anybody  who  reads  this  book 
goes  to  Mendoza,  not  knowing  conditions  there,  they 
should  not  be  bluffed  by  other  figures  as  these  are  nearly 
correct,  they  having  been  given  to  me  by  viticulturists 
and  fruit  growers  of  repute. 

Mendoza  has  been  hit  rather  hardly  in  the  question  of 
labor  for  three  thousand  Italians  alone  have  emigrated 
from  the  province  to  return  home  on  account  of  the 
European  war.  Business  is  now  at  its  lowest  ebb,  but  of 
all  the  provinces  ot  the  republic,  it  has  undoubtedly  the 
brightest  future.  It  is  going  to  be  a  great  granary,  and 
wheat  is  going  to  play  an  important  part  in  its  exports. 
Everything  is  grown  by  irrigation,  and  it  has  been  found 
that  grain  grown  this  way  there  doesn't  rot  or  soften  as  it 
does  in  other  districts  under  similar  conditions.  Under 
ordinary  conditions,  the  wheat  yield  in  Aiendoza  is  fifty- 
two  bushels  to  the  acre;  that  of  the  whole  republic  is 
only  twenty-three.  A  man  on  an  experimental  farm 
grew  ten  acres  that  averaged  seventy-six  bushels  to  the 
acre;    figures    that    I    had    hitherto    thought    impossible. 

6 


S2  Journeys  and  Experiences 

There  is  no  flour  mill  in  the  province ;  neither  is  there  one 
in  the  neighboring  province  San  Juan.  Sr.  Emilio  Vogt, 
manager  of  the  Molino  del  Rio  de  la  Plata,  the  largest 
flour  mill  in  Argentina,  which  has  a  capital  of  $14,945,000, 
tells  me  that  a  flour  mill  cither  in  Tucuman  or  in  Mendoza 
would  be  a  profitable  investment.  One  with  a  daily 
capacity  of  30  tons  would  cost  300,000  pesos  ($138, 100.00). 
It  would  need  200,000  pesos  ($85,400.00)  extra  for  working 
capital,  bringing  the  total  to  500,000  pesos  ($223,500.00). 
He  says  he  would  guarantee  a  mill  like  this  to  make  forty 
per  cent,  annually  on  the  original  investment.  It  would 
have  all  it  could  do  to  supply  Mendoza  city  alone.  Vogt 
says  that  in  the  flour  business  in  Argentina,  everything 
depends  on  the  freight.  The  grain  belt  at  the  present 
time  is  midway  between  Buenos  Aires  and  Mendoza. 
Wheat  is  shipped  to  Buenos  Aires  to  be  ground  and  the 
flour  then  shipped  back  over  the  same  rails  and  beyond 
to  Mendoza.  This  cuts  a  big  hole  in  the  profits.  Since 
Mendoza  is  destined  to  be  a  great  wheat  country,  the 
grain  won't  have  to  be  shipped  far  to  the  mill  if  one  is 
established  there. 

The  city  of  Mendoza  according  to  the  census  of  1916 
had  59,117  human  inhabitants.  Its  neighbor,  Godoy 
Cruz  had  a  population  of  16,021.  The  canine  popula- 
tion of  both  of  these  cities  outnumbers  that  of  the  human 
in  a  proportion  of  at  least  three  to  one.  Only  two  dogs 
out  of  this  vast  number  are  of  any  consequence  and  they 
are  on  exhibit  in  the  zo6lo;.^ical  gardens.  The  other  dogs 
are  not  worth  the  powder  to  blow  them  up. 

With  the  exception  of  Buenos  Aires,  Mendoza  is  un- 
doubtedly the  finest  city  in  Argentina  and  is  the  liveliest 
of  the  provincial  capitals.  It  is  a  beautiful  place  with 
many  Inroad  avenues  bordered  by  symmetrical  rows  of 
sycamore,  plane,  and  linden  trees.     All  the  streets  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     83 

newer  part  ot  the  town  are  well  paved  with  rectangular 
cobble  stones.  Between  the  road  and  the  sidewalk 
are  ditches  paved  with  round  polished  stones  and  spanned 
by  bridges  under  which  rivulets  of  muddy  water  flow. 
I  have  been  told  that  in  this  respect,  Mendoza  bears  a 
similarity  to  Guatemala.  The  sidewalks  are  paved  with 
tile  of  various  somber  colors  and  designs.  The  residences 
are  mostly  one  story  in  height  built  of  a  brownish  brick 
or  of  adobe  and  stuccoed.  The  town  presents  an  ex- 
tremely verdant  and  refreshing  appearance  largely  due  to 
the  murmuring  of  the  running  water  that  is  everywhere. 
The  Plaza  San  Alartin,  the  principal  one,  though  to  me 
not  as  charming  as  the  Plaza  Pringles  in  San  Luis,  is  the 
finest  in  the  republic.  In  its  center  is  a  large  equestrian 
statue  of  the  guerrero,  San  Martin,  looking  towards  the 
Andes.  From  its  center,  eight  walks,  the  tile  paving 
of  which  cost  the  city  forty  thousand  dollars,  radiate,  the 
four  center  ones  containing  little  islands  of  flowers.  The 
corners  of  this  plaza  which  are  sunk  about  two  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  street  are  round.  In  this  neighborhood 
much  of  the  activity  of  the  city  centers  for  here  are  the 
Grand  Hotel,  Hotel  Bauer,  the  cathedral,  the  Spanish 
Bank  of  the  River  Plate;  the  Bank  of  the  Province  of 
Mendoza  (a  huge  building  in  construction) ;  the  Bank  of 
the  Argentine  Nation  and  the  Municipal  Theater.  Near- 
by is  the  post  office. 

There  is  another  plaza,  that  of  Independencia,  which  is 
still  in  an  embryo  state.  It  contains  four  city  squares 
and  when  finished  is  expected  to  be  a  masterpiece.  Work 
of  grading  is  now  in  progress  but  it  is  being  done  so  slowly 
that  I  conjecture  the  year  1920  may  not  witness  its  com- 
pletion. In  the  meantime  horses  graze  on  the  tall  grass 
and  alfalfa  that  will  be  eventually  dug  up  to  be  planted  to 


84      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

trees  and  lawn.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  exact  geo- 
graphical center  of  New  Mendoza  and  on  it  faces  the  capi- 
tol  and  governor's  residence.  Both  these  edifices  are  but 
one  story  in  height ;  the  former  covering  an  entire  block. 


Statue  of  San  Martin,  Mendoza 

The  city  is  divided  into  nearly  equal  parts  by  a  broad 
avenue,  that  of  San  Martin,  formerly  the  Alameda  which 
runs  north  and  south. 


These  two  parts  are  called  by  the  distinctive  names  of 
Mendoza  which  is  the  western  section  and  Old  Mendoza, 
the  eastern  one.  Old  Mendoza,  which  I  think  contains 
ilu'  greatest  population  is  in  the  form  of  a  trapezoid,  while 


a 


.3 

CO 

'S 


85 


86  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  new  city  is  that  of  a  square.  The  old  city  was  the 
part  that  existed  before  the  earthquake  of  1861.  It  was 
nearly  totally  destroyed  and  has  been  rebuilt  again.  The 
best  to  do  inhabitants  instead  of  repairing  their  ruined 
homes,  laid  out  plans  for  a  new  and  better  city  with  wide 
streets  and  spacious  parks.  It  is  this  new  part  that  to-day 
is  the  most  important.  Old  Mendoza  with  its  one-stor}', 
primitive  adobe  buildings,  in  some  respects  resembles  San 
Jose  de  Costa  Rica,  although  it  is  not  nearly  as  fine  and 
clean  a  city.  Its  streets  are  treeless  and  most  of  them 
are  never  paved.  The  poor  element  lives  here.  The  old 
plaza  with  its  dirt  walks,  which  was  formerly  the  center 
of  the  city,  is  a  full  mile  from  that  of  San  Martin.  The 
ancient  crumbling  unstuccoed  adobe  pile  which  was  the 
prestine  city  hall  is  now  an  almshouse.  There  are  no 
residences  in  Mendoza  which  can  be  termed  palatial,  that 
of  my  acquaintance.  Dr.  Serii  being  the  best.  It  is  a  two- 
story  structure  on  the  wide  and  shadeless  Avenida  San 
Martin,  hemmed  in  on  both  sides  by  shops.  The  resi- 
dence of  Domingo  Tomba  at  Godoy  Cruz  is  the  finest 
house  in  the  province,  but  it  is  in  a  poor  location,  on  the 
busy  and  dusty  plaza  of  that  small  city. 

Regarding  the  earthquake  in  Mendoza,  "Until  1861," 
writes  Dr.  Martin  de  Moussy,  "the  Province  of  JMendoza 
was  not  aware  of  the  terrors  of  an  earthquake.  The  vio- 
lent shocks  that  had  at  different  times  agitated  the  Chilean 
provinces  seemed  to  lose  their  intensity  on  going  over  the 
chain  of  the  Andes.  The  inhabitants  only  knew  slight 
tremblings  of  the  earth  previous  to  then.  March  20,  1861, 
one  of  the  most  violent  earthquakes  ever  recorded  de- 
stroyed in  a  few  seconds  the  city  of  Mendoza  and  buried 
one-half  of  its  inhabitants  under  its  ruins. 

At  8:30  P.M.  that  night,  the  town  was  totally  destroyed 
by  one  of  the  most  violent  earthquakes  ever  experienced. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     87 

The  sky  was  perfectly  clear;  the  atmosphere  quiet;  the 
greater  part  of  its  inhabitants  at  home,  although  some  of 
them  were  enjoying  a  walk  in  the  Alameda  and  on  the 
plaza.  Suddenly  a  subterranean  noise  was  heard,  and  at 
the  same  moment  before  there  was  time  to  escape,  all  the 
public  buildings  and  private  houses  were  falling  in  with  a 
tremendous  crash.  The  walls  fell  outward  and  all  sides  of 
the  rooms  and  the  roofs  came  down  in  the  center  so  that 
the  inhabitants,  both  those  who  were  inside  the  houses 
and  those  who  w^ere  on  the  streets  were  all  buried  beneath 
the  debris.  The  movement  was  first  undulatory  from 
northwest  to  southeast  and  afterwards  seemed  to  come 
from  below  upwards.  Its  violence  was  so  great  that  in  the 
gardens  many  people  fell  down.  In  the  Church  of  San 
Augustin,  where  mass  was  being  held,  only  one  person 
escaped  alive.  He  was  a  drunken  man  asleep  in  the  vesti- 
bule. The  pillars  fell  in  such  a  way  that  he  was  uninjured. 
Fire  started  by  broken  lamps  and  from  kitchen  braziers. 
The  debris  of  the  earthquake  clogged  the  canals  and 
started  a  flood.  Food  ran  short  and  the  stench  of  the 
corpses  which  could  not  be  taken  from  the  ruins  was  awful. 
The  fire  raged  ten  days.  When  everything  was  normal 
again,  it  was  estimated  that  at  least  ten  thousand  people 
perished.  The  Almanaqiie  del  Meusajero  gives  the  total 
number  of  victims  at  fifteen  thousand.  The  shocks  were 
continued  at  frequent  intervals  until  the  end  of  May. 
There  was  a  suggestion  to  rebuild  the  city  on  some  granite 
hills  known  as  Las  Tortugas  but  old  ties  and  affections 
pervaded  so  a  new  city  was  built  directly  west  of  the 
Alameda  which  is  now  the  Avenida  San  Martin.  The 
ruins  of  the  churches  of  San  Francisco  and  San  Augustin 
should  be  visited. 

The  Parque  Oeste  (West  Park)  which  its  name  indi- 
cates is  in  the  western  part  of  the  city.     It  is  built  on  a 


S8       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

scarcely  perceptible  general  slope,  and  to  my  idea  out- 
rivals that  of  Palermo  in  Buenos  Aires,  it  being  more 
natural  and  rustic.  It  is  not  yet  entirely  completed,  but 
that  part  of  it  which  is,  nearly  attains  a  perfection.  It 
is  spacious  and  its  broad  avenues,  cross  lawns  planted  to 
trees  indigenous  to  the  country.  There  is  a  fine  music 
pavilion  and  a  zoological  garden  there. 

Westward  from  this  park  and  past  the  hospital  in  the 
course  of  construction,  a  broad  road  bordered  by  year-old 
Carolina  poplar  trees  takes  one  to  the  mile  distant  Cerrito 
de  la  Gloria  a  1300  foot  hill  which  rises  abruptly  from  the 
desert  Pampa.  Its  eastern  slope  is  planted  to  eucalyptus, 
various  generi  of  cactus,  pepperberry,  and  other  trees  and 
shrubs.  Dependent  on  water  which  is  forced  through  a 
conduit  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  they  have  in  the  three  years 
of  their  existence  here  attained  a  marvelous  growth  on 
what  was  formerly  a  barren  waste.  Serpentine  automobile 
roads  with  no  balustrades  coil  upwards  around  the  hill. 
It  would  be  no  place  for  a  joy  ride.  A  driver  in  very 
sober  senses  drove  off  the  road  in  broad  daylight  in  August, 
191 5.  The  only  occupant  of  the  victoria  beside  himself 
was  a  young  girl.  They  both  saved  their  lives  by  jumping 
but  both  the  horses  rolled  over  into  the  ravine  and  were 
killed. 

The  summit  of  this  hill  is  crowned  by  a  gigantic  monu- 
ment of  granite  and  of  bronze  erected  in  19 14  by  the 
Argentine  Republic  in  commemoration  of  the  Army  of 
the  Andes  which  crossed  that  giant  barrier  and  defeated 
the  Spaniards  at  Maipu  and  at  Chacabuco  in  Chile.  It 
was  unveiled  on  the  centennial  day  on  which  the  army  left 
IMendoza.  The  monument  is  a  Goddess  of  Victory  look- 
ing northward.  (It  was  northward  through  Villavicencio 
that  San  Martin's  army  went.)  The  granite  pedestal 
formed  from  three  huge  blocks  of  massive  rock  has  em- 


Monument  to  the  Army  of  the  Andes,  Mendoza 
89 


90  Journeys  and  Experiences 

bedded  in  it  a  bronze  bas  relief,  depicting  the  cavalry, 
artillery,  and  infantry  of  that  time  with  the  famous  general 
and  his  ofificers  and  also  a  reception  given  to  the  liberators 
after  their  victory.  On  top  of  the  bas  relief  is  shown  the 
number  of  men  comprising  the  conquering  army,  classi 
fied  as  follows: 


Superior 

Ojficers 

Officers 

Soldiers 

Artillery           4 
Infantry           9 
Cavalry            4 
Militia 

16 
124 

55 

241 

2,795 

742 

1,200 

Engineers 

120 

Total  5310  men  including  212  officers.  There  were  91 91 
mules  and  1600  horses.  The  names  of  the  heroes  dear  to 
the  Argentine  and  Chilean  public  are  engraved  on  one 
bronze  plate  in  order  as  follows: 

San  Martin 

O'Higgins 

Las  Heras 

de  la  Plaza 

Conde 

Cramer 

Alvardo 

Zapiola 

Beltran 

de  la  Quintana 

Condarco 

Cabot 

Paroisicn 

Freire 

Mansilla 

Zentena 

Arcos 

Martinez 

Guiraldez 

Lavalle 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     91 

As  to  hotels,  Mendoza  can  boast  of  none  that  are  first- 
class  according  to  the  standard  of  those  of  the  average 
European  or  North  American  city  of  its  size,  although 
the  Jewish  hotel  of  Emilio  Levy  which  tries  to  be  inter- 
national and  neutral  (but  which  is  not),  is  the  best.  It  is 
named  Grand  Hotel  San  Martin  but  in  colloquial  conver- 
sation the  suffix  San  Martin  is  usually  left  out.  Levy  is 
an  Alsatian  Jew  as  well  as  are  his  immediate  entourage  of 
hirelings  and  some  of  the  printed  sheets  of  German  atro- 
cities in  this  European  conflagration  that  his  clerks  dis- 
tribute on  the  dining-room  tables  and  in  the  corridor  are 
evidence  to  show  the  wandering  Briton  or  Frenchman 
that  his  money  is  solicited  even  though  he  may  receive 
kosher  food  for  it  in  return.  The  rooms  are  large  and 
clean,  most  of  them  opening  on  to  a  patio  as  is  the  custom 
of  the  hotels  in  provincial  Argentina.  The  food  is  good 
but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  it  is  lacking  in  quantity  as  well 
as  in  variety.  Three  years  ago,  while  I  was  in  Mendoza, 
this  same  hotel  set  a  fine  meal  and  a  large  one  but  one  must 
take  into  consideration  that  the  greater  the  variety  of  food 
as  well  as  the  quantity,  the  greater  is  the  cost,  and  Jews 
are  always  out  for  the  money.  The  Apulian  bartender 
knows  how  to  draw  a  nice  schuper  of  Quilmes  beer,  but  I  am 
told  that  the  barman  of  the  Hotel  Bauer  across  the  plaza 
on  the  Calle  General  Necochea  keeps  his  draught  beer 
better.  The  only  serious  objection  I  have  to  the  Grand 
Hotel  is  its  middle  class  Yiddish  clientele  of  all  nationali- 
ties who  stare  rudely  at  the  other  guests  and  while  eating, 
wave  their  forks  and  knives  as  they  loudly  explain  some 
anecdote. 

The  Hotel  Bauer,  patronized  by  Teutons,  runs  largely 
to  cafe  and  barroom  which  are  the  only  departments  of  this 
institution  in  evidence  from  the  street.  The  dining  room 
and  the  bedrooms  are  in  the  rear,  but  the  bedrooms  are 


92  Journeys  and  Experiences 

small.  The  Hotel  Italia  is  "free  and  easy.  "  They  have 
a  regular  rate  but  if  a  person  brings  a  woman  companion 
to  his  room  who  is  not  his  wife  or  of  any  consanguinity,  he 
is  charged  double. 

Mendoza  is  no  smokers'  paradise.  Cigars  dry  up  in  the 
dry  atmosphere  and  become  as  crisp  and  brittle  as  tinder 
and  as  dry  as  powder.  As  to  amusements,  there  are  none 
save  a  few  cinematograph  shows  and  a  bagnio  named 
Petit  Eden.  One  of  these  moving  picture  shows  was 
showing  films  of  the  Willard-Johnson  fight.  It  was  such 
an  attraction  that  the  place  was  jammed.  I  had  seen  no 
moving  pictures  of  the  fight  as  yet,  although  I  wanted  to, 
as  I  had  witnessed  the  genuine  article  in  Havana.  I  was 
dumbfounded  at  the  finale  after  the  twenty-sixth  round 
to  see  my  visage  conspicuous  in  the  foreground  displayed 
upon  the  white  canvas,  as  I  did  not  know  that  I  had  been 
within  range  of  the  camera  while  at  the  fight  in  Havana. 

The  Province  of  Mendoza  is  rich  in  mineral  springs  due 
to  the  volcanic  Andes.  The  most  famous  of  these  springs 
is  that  of  Villavicencio  about  sixty  miles  northwest  of  the 
capital  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains.  It  was  through 
here  that  San  Martin  marched  his  army  on  his  way  to 
Chile.  He  came  out  at  the  point  where  the  railroad  now 
lies  at  the  farm  of  Uspallata.  The  Mendoza  agents  of 
the  Argentine  Brewery  have  bought  the  spring  and  trans- 
port its  waters  in  bulk  to  Mendoza  where  they  bottle  it. 

To  the  north  of  the  Province  of  Mendoza  lies  the  Pro- 
vince of  San  Juan  with  an  area  of  33,715  square  miles.  It 
together  with  Mendoza  and  San  Luis,  formerly  formed 
the  Province  of  Cuyo  which  belonged  to  that  part  of  the 
Spanish  dependencies  that  were  governed  from  Santiago, 
Chile.  In  character,  San  Juan  is  much  like  Mendoza 
although  it  has  less  fertile  lands.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  while  Mendoza  has  three  rivers  which  serve  to  irri- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     93 

gate  it,  San  Juan  has  but  one.  San  Juan  is  noted  for 
the  superior  quaHty  of  its  figs  which  here  thrive  to  per- 
fection. Its  capital  city  is  also  named  San  Juan.  It  is 
ninety-eight  miles  north  of  the  city  of  Mendoza  and  is 
reached  by  the  Buenos  Aires  Pacific  Railway  which  here 
has  its  terminus.  It  is  a  small  town  of  14,595  inhabitants 
with  shady  streets  and  of  ancient  appearance.  Most  of 
its  houses  are  of  adobe.  It  is  also  the  seat  of  the  bishopric 
of  Cuyo.  The  bishop  is  Jose  Americo  Orzali  who  has  held 
this  post  since  19 12. 

Leaving  Mendoza  westward,  the  narrow  gauge  Tran- 
sandine  Railway  runs  parallel  to  the  canal  of  the  Mendoza 
Rive,  and  crosses  it  twice.  Several  kilometers  out,  the 
snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Andes  are  visible,  among  them 
Aconcagua,  vSouth  America's  highest  mountain  and  extinct 
volcano  in  Argentina  near  the  Chilean  line.  This  great 
height  of  twenty-four  thousand  feet  was  first  ascended  by 
E.  A.  Fitz  Gerald  after  several  efforts,  but  since  then  it 
has  been  scaled  several  times,  there  being  guides  at  Puente 
del  Inca  to  take  mountain  climbers  to  the  summit. 

Twenty  miles  from  Mendoza,  we  enter  the  defile  of  the 
Mendoza  River,  and  are  in  the  midst  of  the  Andes.  I  left 
the  train  at  Cacheuta,  where  at  that  thermal  resort,  I 
put  in  forty-eight  hours.  There  are  hot  springs  at  Ca- 
cheuta and  a  small  establishment  was  built  as  they  were 
found  to  contain  qualities  beneficial  for  rheumatism  and 
kindred  ailments.  The  trade  of  the  place  increased  until 
it  became  necessary  to  drill  holes  into  the  ravine  bottom 
to  pump  the  hot  water  out  for  baths.  The  patient  is  apt 
to  get  worse  for  the  first  five  days  after  the  beginning  of 
this  treatment,  but  then  gets  better  and  improves  until 
the  course  is  completed.  The  Gran  Hotel  Cacheuta  is  a 
sumptuous  and  luxurious  affair  built  on  the  style  of  which 
we  are  erroneously  led  to  believe  is  Cliff  Dweller  archi- 


94 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


tecture  like  the  Hotel  El  Tovar  at  the  Grand  Canyon  of 
the  Colorado.  I  was  not  long  there  before  I  found  out 
that  the  main  attraction  of  Cacheuta  was  not  the  baths 
but  instead  roulette  and  nickel-in-the-slot  machines.  The 
first  mentioned  game  was  in  full  swing;  a  separate  building 
was  given  over  to  that  form  of  joy  producer.     Chips  cost 


Waiting  for  the  Train  at  Cacheuta 


a  peso  apiece,  except  for  the  three  dozen,  red  and  black, 
and  odd  and  even,  where  a  five-peso  chip  must  be  thrown 
on  the  green  cloth.  Little  girls  not  more  than  twelve 
years  old  watch  their  beplumed  and  besapphired  mammas 
win  or  lose.  Long-robed  priests  wander  back  and  forth, 
occasionally  placing  a  bet  where  their  holy  inclination  tells 
them  to;  vermuth  glass  in  hand,  they  are  seen  in  the  bar- 
room to  walk  up  to  the  products  of  Mills  and  of  Caille  and 
to  the  tune  of  a  twenty-centavo  piece  watch  for  their  luck. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     95 

In  the  way  of  scenery  and  other  attractions  besides  the  bath 
there  is  nothing  at  Cacheuta  to  divert  one's  time.  It  is  a 
society  place  for  gambhng  and  a  place  for  rest  for  the  tired 
business  man.  It  is  wonderful,  however,  to  see  what  man 
has  done  in  a  place  not  favored  by  nature.  The  barren 
mountains  obscure  the  view  in  all  directions;    the  sandy 


On  the  Terrace  at  Cacheuta 

soil  can  bear  no  vegetation.  Here  and  there  are  to  be 
seen  the  corrugated  iron  huts  of  the  railroad  workmen  in 
front  of  whose  doors  their  numerous  brown-skinned  off- 
spring are  playing.  Through  the  whole  scene  runs  the 
turbulent  Mendoza  River,  muddy  with  silt  and  sand. 

Not  far  above  Cacheuta  is  Potrerillos,  where  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  see  a  speck  of  green.  Steers  graze  in  alfalfa  fields 
enclosed  by  tall  poplar  trees.  A  stock  company  was 
formed   to   bore   a   tunnel   two   kilometres   through   the 


96        Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

mountains  to  the  plain,  deviate  the  stream  from  its  course 
by  running  it  through  this  tunnel  and  which  once  through, 
would  irrigate  new  lands.  As  it  would  also  render  waste 
the  lands  now  under  cultivation,  the  wine  growers  and 
agriculturists  served  an  injunction  on  this  company 
stopping  them  in  their  undertaking.  The  tunnel  is  com- 
pleted, but  it  is  a  hundred  to  one  shot  nothing  will  ever 
come  of  it  for  the  company  tried  to  steal  the  river. 

The  whole  trip  to  Santiago  over  the  Andes  so  often  de- 
scribed is  one  of  great  scenic  beauty  on  the  Chilean  side 
where  the  descent  is  very  abrupt  and  where  one  can  look 
down  the  whole  length  of  the  valley  of  the  Aconcagua 
River  which  is  cultivated  where  nature  will  allow.  That 
on  the  Argentina  side  is  grand  with  the  giant  peaks  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  also  awe-inspiring,  but  it  is  apt  to  be 
tedious.  The  last  stop  of  importance  in  Argentina  is 
Puente  del  Inca,  where  there  is  a  thermal  establishment 
and  electrical  works.  Here  there  is  a  natural  bridge  under 
which  the  Mendoza  River  flows  and  which  gives  the  place 
its  name.  High  up  on  the  mountain  side  are  curious 
groups  of  rocks  which  from  the  valley  appear  like  people 
praying.  They  are  named  the  Penitentes.  The  crest  of 
the  Andes  is  pierced  by  a  tunnel  at  an  altitude  of  10,364 
feet.  This  tunnel  is  9848  feet  long,  5460  feet  of  it  being 
in  Argentina  and  the  remaining  4388  feet  being  in  Chile. 
It  takes  eight  minutes  to  run  through  it  on  the  train.  In 
the  winter  time  when  snow  blocks  the  passes  so  it  is 
impossible  for  trains  to  run,  travelers  between  Argentina 
and  Chile  ride  through  this  tunnel  on  horseback.  About 
1500  feet  above  the  tunnel  at  the  summit  of  the  Cumbre 
there  is  a  statue  of  Christ  the  Redeemer  (Cristo  Redentor) , 
seen  by  me  on  several  occasions  as  I  have  crossed  the 
mountains  on  horseback.  It  was  designed  by  the  Argen- 
tine sculptor  Matteo  Alonso.     It  is  of  bronze  and  is  over 


T  5i'  <t) 


I 


w 


97 


98 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


twenty-nine  feet  in  height.  It  was  unveiled  at  a  mass  said 
on  the  top  of  the  Cumbre  in  March,  1904,  as  a  monument 
of  perpetual  peace  between  Argentina  and  Chile  in  the 
presence  of  the  presidents  of  the  two  republics.  There 
had  been  a  scrap  over  the  boundary  cjucstion  and  both 


One  of  the  Diversions  at  Cacheuta  that  is  Neither  Bathing  nor  Gambling 


countries  were  on  the  verge  of  war.  It  was  a  case  of  one 
being  afraid  and  the  other  dare  not,  Chile  probably  holding 
the  pole.  Chile  was  unable  to  obtain  a  loan  and  therefore 
war  was  averted.  The  image  of  Christ  with  his  arms 
extended  is  looking  southward  and  the  boundary  line  of 
the  two  countries  runs  through  His  center.  Since  the 
traffic  on  the  Cumbre  has  greatly  lessened  on  account 
of  the  tunnel,  this  bronze  Christ  has  fallen  into  neglect. 
Storms  have  knocked  the  cross  out  of  his  hands,  and  in 
many  ways  have  damaged  it.     The  Chilean  mozos  who 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     99 

cross  the  Andes  to  work  in  the  electrical  works  at  Puente 
del  Inca,  use  this  statue  as  a  target  when  they  pass  by  it 
and  when  I  saw  it,  it  was  quite  pock-marked  with  the 


Steps  at  Cacheuta  Leading  from  the  Railroad  Station  to  the  Hotel 


bullets  from  their  revolvers.  One  hundred  meters  north 
and  one  hundred  metres  south  of  the  statue  are  two  iron 
poles  named  "itos"  which  demark  the  boundary. 

The  poor  travelers  still  go  over  the  Cumbre.  They  hire 
mules  for  fifty  pesos  Chileno  apiece  ($4.90)  at  Los  Andes, 
leaving  there  early  in  the  morning  long  before  daybreak  and 


100      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

arriving  at  the  Argentine  station  of  Las  Cuevas  in  the  af- 
ternoon in  time  to  catch  the  afternoon  train  to  Mendoza. 
At  Santa  Rosa  de  los  Andes  down  the  valley  of  the 
Aconcagua  at  an  altitude  of  2698  feet,  we  changed  trains 
for  here  we  reached  the  broad  gauge  of  the  Chilean  State 
Railways.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able  to  travel  again  in 
clean  and  comfortable  cars.  Those  of  Argentina  are 
terrible;  they  are  dirty,  old,  and  worn.  The  toilets  are 
dirty  and  the  lavatories  are  generally  lacking  in  towels. 
In  Chile  are  Pullman  cars  of  American  manufacture;  the 
locomotives  are  local,  or  are  made  in  Germany.  I  came 
from  Cacheuta  on  the  special  car  sent  by  the  Argentine 
Government  to  convey  the  special  ambassadors  and  envoys 
with  their  distinguished  guests  to  the  inauguration  cere- 
monies and  installation  of  the  new  President  of  Chile,  Sr. 
Luis  Sanfuentes,  who  succeeded  vSr.  Ramon  Barros  Luco, 
whose  term  expired  December  23,  191 5.  This  party 
included  Romulo  S.  Naon,  special  ambassador,  Colonel 
Carlos  S.  Martinez,  military  attache.  Captain  Jose  Moneta, 
naval  attache,  Sr.  Iriondo  de  Irigoyen  and  Sr.  Albert 
d'Alkaine,  secretaries  to  the  Embassy  and  myself.  Brazil 
was  represented  by  Senhor  Luis  Martins  de  Souza  Dantas, 
special  ambassador.  Portugal  sent  her  minister  to 
Argentina,  Colonel  Botelho,  a  very  quiet  miniature  old 
man  and  his  military  attache.  Colonel  Martin  de  Lima,  a 
middle-aged  small  gentleman.  At  Los  Andes,  we  were 
met  by  the  welcome  committee  of  the  Chilean  government, 
its  units  being  the  pick  of  the  land  pohtically,  socially,  and 
from  rank  in  military  and  naval  affairs.  After  being 
photographed  and  presented  with  flowers  by  comely 
maidens  dressed  in  white,  who  came  to  greet  us  and  who 
sang  a  song  especially  composed  for  our  honor,  we  were 
escorted  to  a  private  train  where  we  were  dined  and  wined 
on  the  way  to  Sanriago. 


CHAPTER  V 


SALTA  AND   TUCUMAN 


AIr.  William  Boyce,  of  the  Chicago  Saturday  Blade, 
made  a  trip  to  Tucuman  and  wrote  a  chapter  about  it  in 
his  book,  Illiistrated  South  America.  This  book  I  read 
with  pleasure  and  determined  that  I  should  visit  that  city 
if  ever  an  opportunity  presented  itself.  One  morning, 
armed  with  credentials  and  letters  of  introduction  to 
prominent  personages  in  the  far  provinces,  I  boarded  the 
train  for  Tucuman.  Two  railroads  connect  Buenos  Aires 
with  Tucuman,  the  Central  of  Cordoba  and  the  Central  of 
Argentina.  I  traveled  by  a  train  that  runs  over  the  rails 
of  the  latter. 

Mariano  Saavedra,  288  miles  north  of  Buenos  Aires  is 
the  town  where  the  River  Plate  scenery  ends,  and  the  vast, 
monotonous  plains  begin.  Up  to  here  through  the  broad 
expanse  of  corn  fields,  whose  limits  are  bounded  by  the 
horizon ;  past  funereal  towns  of  unpointed  red  brick  build- 
ings, the  open  doors  and  windows  of  which  have  the  as- 
pect of  morgue  entrances  and  apertures;  past  mournful 
cemeteries  of  blackened  crosses;  and  past  peasant  houses 
embowered  in  groves  of  weeping  willows,  the  dirty  tri- 
weekly express  train  sped  us  by  in  a  cloud  of  stifling,  blind- 
ing, eye-smarting,  ear-filling  dust.  At  Mariano  Saavedra 
we  come  to  the  unbounded,  limitless  plain  of  coarse  green 
grass  on  which  myriads  of  cattle  graze.     This,  the  pro- 

lOI 


102  Journeys  and  Experiences 

vince  of  Santa  Fe,  is  the  true  plain  of  Argentina.  From 
history  and  from  fiction  we  imagine  the  great  plains 
to  be  the  central  and  the  southern  provinces,  consisting 
of  what  is  geographically  the  western  part  of  the  province 
of  Buenos  Aires,  the  Province  of  San  Luis,  and  the  terri- 
tory of  Pampa.  This  is  not  the  true  fact.  In  all  these 
geographical  divisions  are  rolling  hills,  and  streams  in 
deep-lying  canyons.  Here  in  Santa  Fe,  I  doubt  if  there  is 
a  single  hill.  A  broad  landscape,  dry  and  dusty  but  by  no 
means  rainless,  and  yet  fruitful,  meets  the  eye  of  the 
traveler.  A  dark  cloud  on  the  horizon  approaches,  and 
when  overhead  breaks  into  a  swarm  of  locusts,  which  in 
many  instances  destroy  in  a  single  day  the  whole  untiring 
year's  work  of  the  farmers.  They  are  not  such  a  pest  as 
they  were  in  former  years,  but  yet  a  terrible  scourge. 

At  10:30  P.M.  the  town  of  Ceres  is  reached.  This  place, 
a  railway  division  point,  is  built  at  the  corners  of  the 
provinces  Santa  Fe,  Cordoba,  and  Santiago  del  Estero, 
the  last-named  province  being  that  which  the  train  now 
enters  and  which  it  takes  all  night  to  cross.  Do  not 
imagine  that  this  dusty,  smoky  town  is  named  after 
the  Goddess  of  Agriculture.  It  is  a  synonym  of  all  that  is 
evil  among  human  inhabitants,  namely  overwhelming 
dust,  locomotive  smoke,  and  locusts  which  dart  through 
the  empty  windows  of  the  coaches  like  hot  coals,  and  are 
pulled  out  of  ones  food,  beer,  hair,  pockets,  and  even 
underdrawers,  of  all  sizes  and  shapes  from  three  inches 
downwards,  never  failing  to  expectorate  a  dark  brown 
sputum,  like  tobacco  juice  but  purulent. 

I  sat  in  the  dining  car  with  a  young  dentist  named 
Kallmann,  of  German  birth  but  who  had  an  American 
diploma.  He  resides  at  vSantiago  del  Estero  where  he 
made  twenty  thousand  dollars  at  his  profession  during 
the  last  two  years.     There  is  only  one  other  dentist  in  that 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    103 

city,  an  American,  but  Kallmann  says  the  latter  has  no 
trade  because  he  is  drunken.  He  told  me  that  in  Santiago 
del  Estero  he  was  always  obliged  to  accept  cash  before  he 
pulled  a  tooth  on  account  of  the  swindling  tendency  of  the 
natives.  Several  months  later,  I  accidentally  met  Kall- 
mann on  the  Avenida  in  Buenos  Aires.  He  had  made 
enough  money  in  Santiago  del  Estero  and  was  on  his  way 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  had  formerly  practiced,  to  open 
up  an  office. 

The  Province  of  Santiago  del  Estero  has  an  area  of 
39,764  square  miles  and  a  population  of  264,911.  It 
is  a  plain  varying  from  450  to  550  feet  above  sea  level. 
Its  climate  is  extremely  hot.  Most  of  the  surface  of 
the  soil  is  covered  with  a  dense  brush  of  mesquite  and 
quebracho  trees,  which  are  cut  into  cordwood  and  used  as 
fuel  on  the  locomotives.  The  capital  city  is  Santiago  del 
Estero,  frequently  spoken  of  in  Argentina  as  Santiago. 
It  is  an  antiquated  city  of  seventeen  thousand  inhabitants 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  republic  having  been 
founded  in  1553  by  Francisco  de  Aguirre  on  the  Dulce 
River.  It  is  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  which  was  created  in 
1908.  The  present  incumbent  is  Dr.  Juan  Martin  de 
Yaiiiz  y  Paz.  On  account  of  its  isolation,  Santiago  del 
Estero  has  not  prospered  as  it  should  have. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Province  of  Santiago  del  Estero 
are  mostly  dependent  for  a  livelihood  on  the  sale  of  que- 
bracho. This  wood  which  rarely  attains  a  growth  of 
thirty  feet  is  of  a  deep  red  color  and  is  used  as  a  dye  wood. 
Its  supply  seems  inexhaustible  but  its  export  is  now  at  a 
standstill  on  account  of  a  slump  in  the  market.  It  thrives 
in  dry  climates  for  in  this  province  where  it  frequently 
goes  for  a  stretch  of  seven  months  at  a  time  without  a 
rain,  it  attains  its  perfection.  The  northern  provinces  of 
Argentina  have  it  over  its  southern  neighbors  in  the  fact 


I04  Journeys  and  Experiences 

that  no  matter  how  dry  the  country  is,  if  it  Hes  within  the 
proper  akitudcs  it  is  forested. 

I  have  heard  the  Province  of  Tucuman  spoken  of  by 
Argentines  as  having  a  tropical  cUmate.  Such  is  not  the 
truth,  but  it  is,  in  ch'mate,  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
tropics  of  any  of  the  other  Argentine  provinces,  with 
the  exception  of  the  lowlands  of  Salta  that  lie  within  the 
La  Plata  watershed.  All  nations  are  apt  to  exaggerate 
their  endowments  of  nature,  therefore  one  should  not  too 
sharply  criticize  the  Argentines  when  they  speak  of  Tucu- 
man as  tropical.  The  Germans  call  part  of  Saxony, 
"Sachische  Schweiz,  "  when  it  bears  no  more  resemblance 
to  Switzerland  than  does  a  pot  of  ink  to  a  bucket  of  milk. 
The  Uruguayans  love  to  style  their  land  "The  Greenland 
of  South  America,"  and  even  the  Paraguayans  call  their 
mountains  the  "Himalaya  Mbaracayu. "  The  only 
similarity  of  Tucuman  to  the  tropics  is  the  excessive  heat 
in  summer,  and  the  prevalence  of  fevers,  the  most  note- 
worthy being  a  form  of  malaria,  named  chiichii  which  is 
also  in  Santiago  del  Estero,  Jujuy,  and  Salta.  A  more 
fever-free  country  is  hard  to  imagine  from  the  lay  of  the 
land,  yet  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  Argentine  Board  of 
Health  statistics  belie  it.  Malaria  is  one  of  the  foremost 
death-causing  ailments  in  northwestern  Argentina.  I 
would,  however,  class  these  provinces  as  being  healthv.  as 
there  are  no  other  epidemics  excepting  an  occasional 
sporadic  outbreak  of  smallpox. 

Entering  Tucuman  province  from  Santiago  del  Estero, 
the  scenery  abruptly  changes  from  the  quebracho  thicket 
to  large  open  fields  of  sugar  cane.  It  was  summer  when 
I  visited  it  and  the  cane  was  nowhere  near  its  growth. 
Compared  with  Cuba,  the  soil  is  poorer,  the  cane  sicklier, 
and  the  establishments  smaller.  It  is  a  go-between  Cuba 
and  the  other  islands  of  the  West  Indies. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    105 

From  the  city  of  Tucuman  northward  the  scenery  is 
beautiful.  Seated  in  the  dining  car  of  the  narrow  gauge 
Central  Northern  Railroad  with  an  overflowing  glass  of 
Rubia  beer  in  front  of  me,  and  gazing  at  the  fleeting 
landscape,  I  was  entranced  by  the  works  of  God.  An 
endless  forest  of  hardwood,  with  magnificent  spreading 
tops,  yet  too  small  to  make  saw  timber,  formed  an  excres- 
cence on  the  reddish  clay  thicker  than  bristles  on  Tam- 
worth  swine.  The  undergrowth  is  thick  like  that  of 
southern  Chile,  but  here  nature  is  like  that  of  a  warmer 
clime.  No  towns  and  but  few  farmhouses  are  visible, 
yet  this  is  a  populous  country.  The  houses  are  hidden 
awav  in  the  forest,  and  their  owners  make  their  living  by 
stock  raising,  their  herds  roaming  at  random  in  the  woods. 
High  green  mountains  grace  the  landscape,  their  lower 
reaches  wooded,  while  their  tops  uplifted  above  the  tree 
line  are  verdant  with  grasses.  They  are  like  the  Para- 
guayan mountains  in  contour,  domed  or  serrated  but  never 
flat.  The  rainy  season  is  from  December  to  April.  Then 
the  country  looks  its  best.  Under  such  conditions  I  saw 
it.  The  seven  months  from  May  through  November 
constitute  the  dry  season,  and  I  was  told  that  then  the 
landscape  has  a  dreary  appearance  owing  to  its  parched 
dryness.  The  cattle  seem  to  thrive  even  then.  They 
are  gaunt,  rawboned  creatures  and  even  when  fat,  a  man 
can  nearly  hang  his  hat  upon  their  haunches.  They 
have  great  endurance  and  are  driven  across  the  northern 
passes  into  Chile  where  they  sell  for  nineteen  cents  a 
pound  live  weight.  Even  with  their  great  shrinkage  en 
route  there  is  quite  a  profit  to  this.  In  the  Province  of 
Salta  where  land  cannot  get  irrigation,  it  is  worthless 
except  for  cattle  raising  owing  to  the  seven  months' 
drought,  as  water  is  absolutely  necessary  for  their  crops. 

To  the  stations,  on  the  approach  of  the  train,  lean  dogs 


io6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  fat  sows  come,  and  standing  on  the  platform  in  front 
of  the  dining  car,  they  look  longingly  at  the  windows, 
and  with  barking  and  squeaHng  let  their  presence  be 
known.  These  animals  know  exactly  what  time  the  trains 
are  scheduled  to  arrve  and  depart,  where  the  dining  car 
stops,  and  at  which  end  of  the  dining  car  the  kitchen  is. 
This  sagacity  comes  from  intuition  covering  a  long  period. 
They  are  at  every  station  and  are  especially  noticeable  at 
the  stop  named  \^irgilio  Tedin.  The  cook  and  waiters 
never  throw  them  anjrthing,  but  instead  occasionally 
douse  them  with  the  contents  of  a  bucket  of  dish  water. 
The  passengers  are  more  compassionate,  and  always 
throw  a  piece  of  biscuit  or  bone  at  these  animals  who 
pounce  upon  the  castings  with  squeals  of  delight.  The 
dogs  are  afraid  of  the  sows,  which  although  fat  are  of  good 
fighting  material. 

Guemes,  a  town  of  two  thousand  inhabitants  is  the 
junction  for  Salta  and  for  Jujuy.  Although  vSalta  is  on  a 
branch  line  and  Jujuy  is  on  the  main  one,  all  through 
trains  go  to  Salta  for  it  is  the  largest  place.  For  Jujuy, 
you  have  to  change.  Jujuy,  the  capital  of  the  small  pro- 
vince of  the  same  name,  is  a  miserable,  squalid  place  of  six 
thousand  inhabitants,  in  a  hot  but  healthy  valley.  It  used 
to  have  twenty  thousand  people  in  the  Colonial  period, 
when  it  was  the  outpost  of  Spanish  civilization  of  the  La 
Plata  provinces;  it  then  did  a  brisk  trade  with  Bolivia. 
The  town  has  no  future.  Midway  between  Guemes  and 
Jujuy  is  the  junction  of  Perico  from  which  place  a  rail- 
road extends  in  a  northeasterly  direction  to  Oran,  in  the 
province  of  Salta.  This  is  also  an  old  place  with  many 
houses  in  ruins.  It  has  but  twenty-five  hundred  inhabitants 
and  is  a  shell  of  its  former  opulence.  It  now  has  a  good 
future  because  a  railroad  is  being  built  to  connect  it  with 
Formosa  on  the  Paraguay  River,  and  much  timber  and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    107 


tropical  products  will  be  brought  in  to  be  exported.  Now 
Oran  exports  oranges  and  bananas.  Another  old  Colonial 
town  of  crumbling  houses  is  Santiago  del  Esteca  near 
Metan,  a  station  of  the  Central  Northern  Railroad  south 
of  Giiemes.  vSantiago  del  Esteca  lies  in  the  midst  of  a 
thick  forest  and  communication  with  the  outside  world  is 
carried  on  over  a  rough  wagon  road.     The  Central  North - 


Giiemes 

.\  typical  town  of  northern  Argentina 

ern  Railroad  ends  at  La  Quiaca,  the  frontier  station  at 
the  Bolivian  boundary  line.  From  Jujuy  northward  it  is  a 
gradual  chmb  to  Abrapampa,  over  thirteen  thousand  feet 
above  sea  level  and  then  a  drop  of  about  three  thousand 
feet  to  the  terminus.  The  railroad  is  in  some  places 
rack  and  pinion  but  the  trip  for  scenic  beauty  affords  but 
little  interest  to  the  tourist  for  it  is  over  bleak  and  barren 
mountains.  The  trip  from  Buenos  Aires  to  La  Paz, 
Bolivia,  can  be  made  in  one  week,  owing  to  the  excellent 
stage-coach  service  of  a  Bolivian  company  connecting  La 
Quiaca  with  Uyuni  on  the  Antofagasta  to  Bolivia  Railroad. 


io8      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

Live  hogs  in  northern  Argentina  are  shipped  in  the 
baggage  cars  of  passenger  trains,  although  there  seems  to 
be  plenty  of  empty  swine  wagons.  The  animals  are 
trussed  up  by  a  noose  slipped  over  their  snouts,  drawn 
tightly  and  slipped  around  their  front  feet  which  are 
bound;  the  rope  is  then  extended  to  their  hind  feet  which 
are  already  hobbled.  I  saw  half  a  dozen  of  these  creatures 
bound  this  way  being  taken  from  the  baggage  car  at 
Giiemes  and  laid  in  the  sun  on  the  depot  platform, 
when  the  thermometer  stood  at  io8°  Fahrenheit  in  the 
shade. 

On  the  spur  to  Salta  the  first  stop  is  Campo  Santo, 
meaning  "holy  ground"  or  "cemetery."  I  am  told  that 
it  is  very  appropriately  named  as  the  fevers  here  are 
exceedingly  common  and  are  of  great  virulence. 

He  who  has  been  to  Argentina  and  has  failed  to  see  the 
Lerma  Valley  is  to  be  pitied.  I  have  been  told  that  the 
Cauca  Valley  in  Colombia  is  one  of  nature's  rare  master- 
pieces, and  I  would  like  to  have  it  compared  with  that  of 
the  Lerma  by  somebody  who  has  seen  both.  Midway 
between  Giiemes  and  Salta  we  reach  the  Lerma  River, 
and  the  high  wooded  hills  narrow  down  to  a  defile,  coming 
to  the  water's  edge  in  some  places  which  necessitates  the 
train  in  some  places  to  pass  through  tunnels.  An  occa- 
sional charcoal  burner's  hut  is  seen,  but  no  other  habi- 
tations. Suddenly  the  defile  ends,  the  river  is  crossed, 
and  a  long  valley  several  miles  wide  is  entered,  its  whole 
floor  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  dotted  with  farm- 
houses. Near  at  hand  are  green  foothills,  which  afford 
pasture  for  stock.  Behind  are  w^ooded  mountains.  The 
whole  panorama  is  beautified  by  the  high  Andes  to  the 
west  and  north  whose  summits  are  capped  with  perpetual 
snow.  The  city  of  Salta  is  approached;  its  many  towers 
and  Gothic  spires,  together  with  its  setting  at  the  base  of 


eu 


m 


o 


109 


no  Journeys  and  Experiences 

wooded  mountains,  brings  to  one's  mind  visions  of  cities 
of  Central  Europe. 

The  Province  of  Salta  has  an  area  of  62,184  square  miles 
and  had  185,643  inhabitants  according  to  the  last  census, 
that  of  1 914.  It  is  divided  into  twenty-one  departments 
which  are  analogous  to  the  counties  of  our  states.  There 
is  a  great  variation  of  soil  and  climate  ranging  from  barren- 
ness and  frigidity  in  the  high  Andes  to  exuberant  vege- 
tation and  torrid  heats  in  the  department  of  Oran.  The 
principal  industry  is  the  exportation  of  stock  into  Chile. 
A  railroad  to  Chile  seems  to  be  the  want  of  the  inhabitants. 
They  say  that  if  one  were  built  to  Antofagasta,  they  would 
need  no  trade  with  the  rest  of  Argentina  for  then  all  their 
exports  would  be  sent  north  by  the  Pacific  boats,  and  their 
imports  from  the  United  States  would  be  brought  in  that 
way,  saving  a  great  expense  in  freight.  This  is  only  too 
true.  Argentina  is  willing  that  such  a  railroad  should  be 
built,  but  the  Ciiilean  Government  has  refused  permission 
on  the  grounds  that  there  would  be  a  great  exodus  of 
population  from  their  barren  northern  provinces  to  the 
fruitful  country  across  the  Andes,  namely  Salta  and  Jujuy. 
There  has  always  been  more  or  less  enmity  between 
Argentina  and  Chile  over  a  national  boundary  dispute 
regarding  the  limits  of  the  Province  of  Salta,  whose  pro- 
ductive soil  the  first -mentioned  country  is  jealous  of.  The 
ciuestion  once  nearly  precipitated  a  war  and  the  statue  of 
the  Cristo  Redentor  is  a  monument  of  the  pact  of  peace. 

Whenever  nature  bestows  opulence  on  a  country,  it 
invariably  endows  it  with  setbacks.  This  it  did  in  Salta 
by  giving  it  fevers  and  venomous  snakes.  The  chuchu 
fever  is  the  commonest  disease  and  although  not  so  pre- 
valent as  in  the  Province  of  Tucuman,  it  is  here  in  a  more 
malignant  form.  It  is  conveyed  by  the  bite  of  the  mos- 
quito and  much  resembles  ague,  excepting  that  the  body  is 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    m 

racked  by  pains,  each  day  in  a  different  place.  It  is 
supposed  never  to  leave  the  system,  quinine  availing  but 
little.  It  weakens  the  heart  and  in  this  way  death  is 
caused,  but  only  after  several  or  more  years.  Some  people 
never  have  it,  and.  by  the  healthy  looks  of  the  inhabitants 
and  by  the  number  of  aged  people  to  be  seen  in  Salta,  I  do 
not  believe  its  effects  are  as  dangerous  as  is  claimed. 
Among  the  snake  family  there  are  some  venomous  species, 
notably  the  viper  and  the  cascabel.  The  bite  of  the  latter 
is  synonymous  with  sure  death. 

The  city  of  Salta,  whose  population  is  estimated  at 
twenty-eight  thousand  exclusive  of  a  garrison  of  .  two 
thousand  soldiers,  is  one  of  the  best  built  cities  and, 
for  its  size,  one  of  the  liveliest  towns  in  Argentina.  Its 
streets  are  paved  with  creosote  blocks  as  in  Paris;  it 
has  an  electric  car  system  and  all  the  progressive  improve- 
ments. Its  buildings  are  modern  two-story  structures, 
and  old  houses  of  the  Colonial  period  with  ornate  carved 
wood  entrances.  On  February  20,  1813,  General  Arenales 
defeated  the  Spaniards  on  a  plain  north  of  the  town,  and  a 
few  years  ago  at  a  Centennial  to  celebrate  the  event,  a 
handsome  monument  of  stone  with  bronze  martial  bas- 
reliefs,  surmounted  by  a  female  statue  of  Liberty  holding 
aloft  a  cross,  was  unveiled  on  the  battle  ground  and  is 
regarded  by  the  Saltenos  as  the  pride  of  their  town.  The 
principal  plaza  of  the  city  is  named  in  honor  of  the  hero, 
Arenales,  and  a  monument  is  soon  to  be  placed  on  the 
brick  base  in  the  center  of  this  square  which  formerly  was 
graced  by  a  squat  obelisk.  The  principal  club  of  the  city 
is  likewise  named  after  the  victory,  its  nomenclature  being 
the  20th  of  February  Club.  This  edifice  faces  the  plaza 
and  is  by  far  the  most  modern  building  in  Salta ;  it  is  the 
only  building  in  the  city  that  is  three  stories  high.  Many 
cities  of  half  a  million  inhabitants  cannot  boast  of  so  fine 


112  Journeys  and  Experiences 

a  club  regarding  interior  furnishings.  The  wood  carving, 
which  is  of  Salta  oak  and  cedar  is  of  native  workmanship; 
the  Saltenos  are  famous  in  that  art  and  I  doubt  if  any- 
where woodcarving  by  hand  is  done  better.  The  parquet 
flooring  of  the  club  ballroom  makes  the  visitor  gasp  with 
amazement  when  he  is  told  that  the  work  and  the  wood  are 
all  local.  On  the  furniture  of  this  club,  which  is  even 
equipped  with  a  gymnasium,  no  expense  has  been  spared. 
The  ballroom  chairs  of  Marie  Antoinette  style  are  uphol- 
stered with  silk,  and  the  massive  candelabra  are  of  the 
choicest  Venetian  glass.  The  toilet  room,  I  am  pleased  to 
relate,  is  one  of  the  very  few  that  I  visited  in  Argentina 
that  is  kept  clean. 

The  buildings  around  the  Plaza  Arenales  are  all  arcaded, 
but  the  only  one  of  architectural  interest  is  the  old  Cab- 
ildo,  or  city  hall,  of  Spanish  times.  It  is  a  low,  squat,  long 
structure  of  massive  walls  and  with  rounded  arches  form- 
ing the  arcades.  A  low,  pointed  tower  rises  above  the 
center.  The  lower  floor  of  this  building  is  now  given  up 
entirely  to  stores  while  the  upper  ones  are  leased  for 
dwelling  purposes. 

The  Hotel  Plaza  of  Ramon  Terres  is  a  two-story  build- 
ing at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  square  and,  although  it 
is  by  no  means  a  St.  Regis,  it  is  good  enough  for  Salta. 
Unfortunately  most  of  the  bedrooms  face  a  glass-roofed 
courtyard,  which  besides  making  them  dark,  does  not 
allow  the  entry  of  much  fresh  air.  The  pillows  are  so  hard 
that  the  guests  are  apt  to  wonder  if  they  are  stuffed  with 
brickbats.  One  of  the  curious  figures  that  haunted  the 
hotel  cafe  was  a  very  old,  tall,  and  thin  gentleman  of  a 
decidedly  noble  and  dignified  appearance.  His  hair  which 
was  abundant,  and  his  well-trimmed  beard  were  silvery 
white.  His  clean  features,  neat  black  clothes,  and  derby 
hat  would  deceive  a  person  into  believing  that  this  old 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  113 

man  was  a  retired  Scots  professor  or  German  scientist. 
There  was  something  uncanny  about  his  appearance,  for 
I  had  never  before  seen  so  well-groomed  and  active  a  man 


Tomb  in  Cemetery,  Salta 


of  an  age  that  I  imagined  him  to  be ;  it  was  as  if  he  had  long 
ago  passed  the  age  limit  in  which  old  men  die,  and  yet 
decided  that  he  would  remain  on  earth  a  good  spell  yet. 
He  was  always  one  of  the  last  persons  to  leave  the  cafes 
nights,  and  the  first  to  enter  them  mornings;  he  made  the 


114  Journeys  and  Experiences 

rounds  with  regularity,  and  always  liad  a  drink  before 
him.     I  asked  the  Spanish  bartender  who  he  was: 

' '  He  was  once  a  very  rich  man  who  made  his  money  by 
cattle  dealing  in  Chile.  He  spent  most  of  it  and  now  is 
on  an  allowance  from  his  relations.  He  has  been  in  Chile 
over  one  hundred  times  trading  stock,  and  is  thinking  of 
going  again  soon.  He  is  an  expert  horseman.  He  is  over 
one  hundred  years  old,  and,"  said  the  waiter  in  a  con- 
fidential undertone,  "he  is  a  devil  with  the  women.  He 
chases  after  all  the  servant  girls  and  has  lewd  designs  on 
the  chambermaid.  "  This  chambermaid,  by  the  way,  was 
terribly  good-looking,  with  dark  brown  eyes,  and  rosy  red 
cheeks.     I  admired  the  old  man's  choice. 

Salta  has  some  remarkable  reUgious  edifices.  It  is  the 
see  of  a  bishop,  who  has  a  palace  adjoining  the  cathedral. 
The  diocese  was  created  in  1806  and  comprises  the  pro- 
vinces of  Salta  and  Jujuy.  The  present  bishop,  Jos3 
Gregorio  Romero,  has  been  the  incumbent  only  since  191 5. 
The  inhabitants  have  the  reputation  of  being  very  devout, 
although  I  observed  that  all  the  Catholics  with  whom  I 
was  brought  into  contact  with  in  Salta,  ate  meat  on 
Friday.  This  also  applies  to  the  clergy.  In  the  rich,  cool, 
and  lofty  cathedral,  there  is  a  shrine  with  an  image  of 
the  crucified  Savior,  which  has  a  most  peculiar  history. 
Years  ago  there  was  found  on  a  lonely  beach  in  Chile,  two 
boxes,  which  had  evidently  been  washed  ashore  from  an 
unknown  shipwreck.  One  was  labeled  with  the  address 
of  a  person  in  Cordoba,  and  the  other  was  addressed  to  a 
Seiior  del  Milagro  in  Salta.  On  being  opened,  the  box 
destined  for  Cordoba  was  found  to  contain  an  image  of  the 
Virgin,  while  that  for  Salta  contained  the  Christ.  His  halo 
is  of  wrought  gold,  and  the  cross  on  which  He  is  nailed  is  of 
iron.  As  there  was  no  such  person  in  Salta  as  "del 
Milagro,"  the  church   ajji^roj^riated  the  image  which  is 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  "5 

known  as  the  Cristo  del  Milagro,  and  is  shown  by  the 
sexton. 

Two  of  the  oldest  churches  are  those  of  Merced  and  of 
San  Bernardo.  The  church  of  the  Candelaria  has  the 
finest  fagade  with  a  detached  campanile,  but  the  most 
interesting  of  all  is  the  church  and  monastery  of  San 
Francisco.  The  cloister  has  massive  walls,  seven  feet 
thick.  It  houses  fourteen  brown-robed  monks  of  the 
Franciscan  order.  Most  of  them  were  an  unwashed, 
unkempt  lot;  the  quantity  of  empty  wine  and  beer  bottles 
in  the  kitchen  yard  bore  testimony  to  many  libations  on 
their  part.  The  whole  monastery  is  a  maze  of  halls, 
porches,  passageways,  staircases,  cupolas,  belfries,  cells, 
courtyards,  and  gardens.  This  confusion  arose  because  a 
new  part  was  added  each  time  the  growth  of  the  monastery 
warranted  it.  Into  the  large  garden  is  turned  nightly  a 
large  bloodhound,  kept  ugly  by  being  constantly  fed  on 
raw  meat.  This  is  to  prevent  the  townspeople  from  scal- 
ing the  walls  to  steal  the  luscious  fruit  and  grapes  which 
the  monks  cultivate.  In  the  daytime  the  dog  is  kept 
chained  up,  but  only  two  or  three  of  the  inmates  are  on 
friendly  enough  terms  with  this  modern  Cerberus  to 
approach  it.  The  tall  campanile  of  San  Francisco  is  the 
highest  church  tower  in  Argentina. 

I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Manuel  de 
Iriondo,  president  of  the  Bank  of  the  Argentine  Nation 
and  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  republic,  to  the 
manager  of  the  Salta  branch,  Sefior  Francisco  Pereyra. 
I  have  never  met  a  finer  gentleman  that  Sehor  Pereyra. 
Not  only  did  he  wine  and  dine  me  at  his  own  residence, 
but  he  went  at  great  length  to  entertain  me,  introduce  me 
to  his  friends,  to  the  mayor  of  the  city,  to  the  governor  of 
the  province,  took  me  out  for  automobile  rides,  and  when 
I  left  Salta  loaded  me  with  literature,   both  statistical 


ii6 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


and  historical  of  the  province  and  city.  Senor  Pereyra 
made  me  a  present  of  a  hardwood  cane,  the  tree  from  which 
it  is  made  being  indigenous  to  the  Province  of  Salta,  and 
named  San  Antonio.  Mariano  Posse  is  the  name  of 
Pereyra's  eighteen-year-old  brother-in-law  who  is  going 
to  Buenos  Aires  in  a  3^ear  to  study  medicine.  I  tried  to 
persuade  the  young  man  to  come  to  the  United  States  to 


Calle  Mitre,  Salta 

This  is  the  main  street  of  the  city 


take  a  course  in  one  of  our  universities,  which  I  think  will 
eventually  materialize.  At  the  time  of  this  w^riting,  Sehor 
Pereyra  has  left  Salta  and  is  manager  of  the  Bank  of  the 
Argentine  Nation  at  Catamarca,  the  capital  of  the  Andean 
province  of  the  same  name.  He  had  recently,  shortly 
before  leaving  Salta,  the  misfortune  to  lose  by  death,  his 
wife,  an  estimable  lady.  I  met  Dr.  Waldino  Riarte,  a 
friend  of  Senor  Pereyra's.  Both  men  were  originally  from 
Tucuman.  Dr.  Riarte  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  highest 
standing  men  in  the  province,  to  which  i)()sition  he  rose 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  n? 

through  his  own  efforts.  One  of  the  Salteno's  with  whom 
I  became  acquainted  was  Dr.  Sola,  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio 
State  University,  class  of  1904.  He  has  not  been  in  the 
United  States  since  he  graduated.  He  was  sent  there  to 
study,  by  the  Argentine  Government,  and  liked  it  so  well 
that  he  wants  to  go  back  to  the  United  States.  He  was 
anxious  to  hear  the  results  of  the  collegiate  football  games 
for  the  past  few^  years,  as  he  played  on  the  'varsity  while 
attending  Ohio  State. 

"Chopp"  (pronounced  schop)  is  a  coined  word  supposed 
to  be  the  Spanish  translation  of  the  German  word  schoppen. 
Its  nearest  English  equivalent  is  our  coined  word  "schu- 
per.  "  Under  the  arcades  of  the  old  Cabildo,  a  German  has 
established  a  saloon  w^hich  he  has  named  "El  Bueno 
Chopp,  "  meaning  "The  Good  Schuper.  "  A  native  seeing 
the  volume  of  business  which  came  to  the  thrifty  German, 
thinking  that  it  all  came  from  the  name  he  gave  his  place, 
hung  out  a  sign  styling  his  liquid  refreshment  emporium, 
"El  Mejor  Chopp,"  w^hich  means  "The  Best  vSchuper. " 
It  happens  that  in  this  latter  resort,  it  is  impossible  to  get 
draught  beer  in  schupers,  as  the  proprietor  deals  only  in 
bottled  goods.  He  does  a  poor  business  compared  to  that 
of  the  German. 

In  the  Bueno  Chopp  saloon  where  I  would  occasionally 
go  for  a  libation,  I  met  a  Dantziger  named  Holzmann. 
He  inquired  of  me  the  names  of  the  North  American  maga- 
zines most  widely  read  by  the  higher  classes  of  women, 
w^hereupon  I  told  him  the  Ladies'  Home  Journal,  Harper's 
Bazaar,  and  others,  giving  him  their  addresses.  He  later 
confided  to  me  that  the  reason  for  his  asking  was  that  he 
wished  through  their  columns  to  make  an  announcement 
that  he  intended  to  get  married  and  he  wanted  a  North 
American  woman  for  his  wife.  He  said  he  had  taken  a 
passion  for  women  of  that  nationality,  and  would  accept 


ii8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

no  others.  This  passion,  I  found,  had  developed  from  his 
having  become  enamored  of  the  photograph  of  one  of 
our  well-known  society  queens  that  is  frequently  flaunted 
before  our  eyes  in  the  newspaper  columns  of  the  Sunday 
supplements.  Holzmann  told  me  that  when  he  resided  in 
East  Africa,  he  occasionally  gave  his  former  wife,  when 
she  was  unruly,  a  beating  with  a  hippopotamus  hide  w^hip ; 
so  I  see  what  sort  of  fate  is  in  store  for  his  American  bride. 

Salta  years  ago  had  a  brewery  owned  by  a  man  named 
Glueck.  Through  mismanagement  it  failed.  The  city 
has  1 20  automobiles  which  speaks  well  for  a  town  of  its  size 
and  isolation  in  South  America.  The  wine  grown  there  is 
supposed  to  be  the  best  in  Argentina,  although  there  has 
been  little  done  towards  putting  it  on  the  market. 

While  I  was  a  guest  of  the  Pereyras'  I  witnessed  a  novel 
sight.  After  dinner  a  bat  was  turned  loose  in  the  dining 
room.  This  phyllostome  Sehor  Pereyra  kept  in  a  large 
cage  and  occasionally  turned  it  loose  to  eat  the  mosquitoes 
which  are  a  curse  to  Salta. 

Midway  between  Salta  and  Tucuman  is  the  station  of 
Rosario  de  la  Frontera  near  which  are  some  famous  min- 
eral baths.  It  is  quite  a  winter  resort  and  its  waters  are 
bottled  and  sold  all  over  the  republic.  Palau  is  the  name 
of  the  most  widely  distributed  brand.  These  waters  are 
naturally  carbonated,  but  are  not  as  strong  as  ApoUinaris 
or  White  Rock.  One  of  the  finest  waters  in  Argentina  is 
that  of  Ghino  from  Tucuman  province.  It  is  somewhat 
like  Vichy  in  taste  but  is  slightly  medicated.  Its  sale, 
however,  is  unfortunately  local. 

The  Province  of  Tucuman  derives  its  name  from  a 
legendary  Indian  cacique  named  Tucuma,  who  is  supposed 
to  have  lived  in  the  plain  ol  the  Rio  Monteros  which  flows 
through  the  province  and  which  joins  the  Rio  Sali  near  the 
city  of  Tucuman.     It  is  the  smallest  province  of  Argentina, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   119 

having  an  area  of  only  8926  square  miles.  Three-quarters 
of  its  surface  is  level,  the  remaining  quarter  which  is  the 
western  part  being  hilly  and  mountainous.  Tucuman 
is  the  most  densely  settled  portion  of  Argentina,  its  popu- 
lation being,  according  to  the  census  of  1914,  373-^^73-  ^^ 
account  of  this  density  of  population  the  Tucumanos  like 
to  call  their  province  "The  Europe  of  Argentina."  In 
most  of  the  republic  the  railroads  preceded  the  settlers; 
here  and  also  in  Salta  this  is  the  reverse,  for  the  settlers 
in  these  provinces  came  first.  In  1 560  the  Viceroy  of  Peru, 
to  whose  dominions  this  part  of  the  country  had  belonged, 
declared  Tucuman  an  independent  state.  It  then  com- 
prised what  are  now  the  geographical  divisions  of  Santiago 
del  Estero,  Tucuman,  Catamarca,  Salta,  Jujuy,  and  Cord- 
oba. In  1782  Salta,  Jujuy,  and  Cordoba  were  separated 
from  it.  In  1821  Catamarca  and  Santiago  del  Estero  fol- 
lowed suit. 

.  The  capital  city,  also  named  Tucuman,  was  founded 
September  29,  1565,  by  Diego  de  Villarroel  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Sail  and  Monteros  rivers.  In  1585  it  was 
moved  to  the  site  that  it  now  occupies.  It  is  situated 
near  the  middle  of  the  province,  at  an  elevation  of  1453 
feet  above  sea  level.  The  city  itself  has  a  population  of 
about  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  but  it  is  a  dis- 
tributing point  for  a  much  greater  population  for  at  no 
great  distance  from  it  are  numerous  towns,  large  sugar 
factories  with  their  colonies  of  workmen.  In  shape  the 
city  is  nearly  square.  It  is  eighteen  blocks  long  from  north 
to  south  and  fourteen  blocks  wide  from  east  to  west.  The 
streets  are  wide,  and  the  newer  ones,  especially  the  boule- 
vards which  bound  the  limits,  are  lined  with  trees,  syca- 
mores being  in  the  majority.  Four  blocks  west  of  the 
eastern  city  hmits  is  the  Plaza  Independencia,  the  center 
of  mercantile,   religious,   and  diverting    activity.     On  it 


120  Journeys  and  Experiences 

stands  the  cathedral,  another  church,  the  capitol,  at 
least  ten  large  cafes,  and  a  couple  of  moving  picture  shows, 
while  in  the  neighborhood  on  a  street  named  Las  Heras 
arc  the  best  shops. 

Las  Heras,  an  east  and  west  intersector,  is  the  main 
business  street,  although  the  one  which  parallels  it  one 
block  to  the  south,  and  which  is  named  Calle  24  de  Seti- 
embre,  is  the  street  which  divides  its  intersectors  into 
different  nomenclatures  in  the  manner  of  the  Calle  Riva- 
davia  in  Buenos  Aires.  South  of  Calle  24  de  Setiembre, 
the  streets  that  cross  it  have  different  names  than  the 
elongations  of  them  that  run  north  of  it.  On  Calle  Las 
Heras  are  the  important  banks.  The  next  business  streets 
in  order  according  to  their  commercial  worth  are  Mendoza, 
which  parallels  Las  Heras  one  block  north  of  it,  Laprida, 
and  Maipu,  the  two  last  named  being  cross  streets.  Calle 
Maipu  is  devoted  to  second  class-shops;  the  third-class 
shops  and  the  slums,  which  are  vile,  although  not  so 
vile  as  the  slums  of  Cordoba,  are  at  the  extreme  western 
end  of  Las  Heras  near  the  Central  of  Cordoba  Railroad 
station. 

The  religious  edifices,  although  their  external  appear- 
ances are  imposing  and  have  double  towers  and  domes  of 
light  blue  porcelain  tile,  are  not  worth  visiting  unless  to 
pray  in,  as  their  interiors  offer  no  more  artistic  attractions 
than  thousands  of  their  kind  elsewhere. 

The  capitol  is  by  far  the  finest  building  in  the  city.  It  is 
three  stories  high  on  the  outside,  and  four  on  the  inside 
(for  the  courtyards  are  sunk  one  story  below  the  street 
level) ,  and  occupies  a  considerable  area.  It  is  by  no  means 
the  finest  capitol  building  that  I  have  visited,  but  as  it  is 
the  newest,  having  been  just  completed,  it  is  probably  the 
best  equipped.  Though  it  is  built  in  the  business  section 
of  the  city  where  it  cannot  show  oft"  to  its  best  advantage, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    i^i 

it  however,  makes  the  capitol  at  Lansing,  Michigan,  look 
Hke  30  cents.  In  Argentine,  as  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  get  marble,  all  the  provincial  capitols  are  built  of  brick, 
solidly,  so  as  to  stand  forever.  The  Argentine  brick  is 
not  pleasing  to  the  eyes,  as  it  is  rough.  To  embellish  the 
buildings  of  this  material  they  are  given  a  coating  of  drab 
stucco  cement. 


Capitol,  Tucuman 


I  visited  the  Governor,  Dr.  Ernesto  Padilla,  a  tall, 
handsome,  affable  man  about  forty  years  old.  He  is  quite 
an  archeologist,  and  in  a  room  adjoining  his  private  office 
in  the  capitol  he  has  installed  his  private  collection  of 
Indian  antiquities  of  the  province.  It  is  a  most  remark- 
able collection  of  pottery,  ornaments,  etc.  Near  Tafi  a 
large  stone  has  been  recently  discovered  with  Indian 
scrolls,  hieroglyphics,  and  drawings.  A  North  American 
photographer  residing  in  Tucuman  went  out  to  see  this 
stone.  With  chalk,  he  outlined  the  rather  indistinct 
drawings  and  then  took  a  photograph  of  it.     This  photo- 


122  Journeys  and  Experiences 

graph  is  reproduced  on  pages  635  and  637  of  my  previous 
work,  Illustrated,  Descriptive  Argentina. 

Dr.  Padilla  introduced  me  to  General  O'Donnell,  the 
mihtary  commander  of  the  province.  A  curious  fact  is 
that  this  general  cannot  speak  the  English  language,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Argentina.  I  held  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  Sefior  S.  A.  Wyss,  manager  of  the  Hilaret  y  Cia 
sugar  mill  at  Santa  Ana,  the  largest  in  South  America,  and 
also  one  to  Mr.  Stewart  Shipton,  manager  of  the  Corona 
mill  at  Concepcion.  Both  mills  are  several  hours'  distant 
from  Tucuman,  and  in  trying  to  catch  the  train  for  Con- 
cepcion, I  went  to  the  wrong  depot.  Dr.  Padilla  afterwards 
told  me  that  it  would  have  been  useless  for  me  to  have 
gone  to  either  of  those  places,  because  there  were  sugar 
mills  much  nearer  to  the  city.  He  wrote  me  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  Senor  Alfredo  Guzman,  the  richest  man  in 
the  province,  who  has  a  mill  at  a  town  also  named  Concep- 
cion, which  is  only  a  twenty  minutes'  drive  from,  the  capital. 
He  likewise  wrote  me  a  letter  to  Dr.  Juan  C.  Nougues, 
who  has  a  mill  at  San  Pablo,  which  I  visited.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  sugar  districts  in  the  Province  of  Tucuman, 
one  on  the  plains  like  that  of  Seiior  Guzman's  estate,  and 
one  in  the  hills  like  the  one  at  San  Pablo. 

Tucuman  is  a  hot  place,  both  climatically  and  morally. 
In  the  latter  line  are  the  Crystal  Palace  and  the  Moulin 
Rouge,  while  in  the  former  line,  the  thermometer  often 
rises  above  the  comfortable  point.  The  night  I  arrived 
it  registered  106°  Fahrenheit  in  the  shade.  It  was  so  hot 
that  I  thought  I  would  cool  off  b}-  walking  down  the 
Calle  Laprida.  The  one-story  houses  are  so  constructed 
that  in  front  of  each  window  an  iron  balcony  extends  to  the 
sidewalk;  the  railings  of  these  are  of  wrought  iron,  or 
marble.  Here  sit  the  belles  on  hoi  summer  nights  airing 
themselves.     They  certainly  need  to,  for  as  I  strolled  down 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  123 

the  street  the  stench  that  was  wafted  from  them  to  me 
was  nearly  asphyxiating.  It  is  the  odor  that  is  present  in 
the  summer  when  the  human  body  is  unfriendly  to  soap, 
water,  and  the  scrub  brush.  Some  of  these  beauties  sat 
behind  shutters  in  the  darkness,  but  I  was  aware  of  their 
presence,  although  I  could  not  see  them. 


Calle  Laprida,  Tucuman 

Behind  the  iron  balconies,  such  as  has  the  house  on  the  left,  the  women  of  Tucuman  are 
seated  on  hot  summer  evenings  airing  themselves 


In  1 91 4,  there  was  founded  in  Tucuman  a  university, 
at  the  head  of  which  is  Dr.  Juan  B.  Teran.  So  far,  the 
university  is  incomplete,  for  of  the  five  departments  of 
instruction  which  it  will  have  when  completed,  only  two 
are  at  present  running .  These  are  the  pedagogical 
department,  and  that  of  mechanics,  agriculture,  and 
chemistry.  The  latter  has  an  agricultural  experimental 
station  near  the  city,  at  present  in  charge  of  a  North 
American,  Dr.  William  E.  Cross.  Its  chemical  and 
bacteriological   laboratory   is    the   best   in    the   republic. 


124  Journeys  and  Experiences 

The  University  of  Tuouman  to-day  is  more  like  a  poly- 
technical  institute  and  agricultural  combined  than  that 
which  we  generally  think  of  by  the  word  "university." 

As  to  hotels,  Tucuman  has  one  of  the  best  in  South 
America,  the  Savoy.  It,  together  with  two  separate 
buildings,  one  a  roulette  casino,  and  the  other  a  large 
theater,  is  the  property  of  the  Da  Rossa  Company,  a 
Portuguese  syndicate.  The  Savoy  is  leased  to  a  French- 
man, R.  Eluchand,  and  is  managed  by  Seiior  Scheindl  for- 
merly of  Vienna.  It  is  Mr.  Scheindl's  sister  whose  portrait 
appears  on  the  Austrian  twenty  crown  note;  she  was  sup- 
posed to  be  the  most  beautiful  girl  in  Austria.  The  Savoy 
is  a  large  affair  of  1 16  rooms,  most  of  which  have  a  bath  in 
connection.  It  is  on  the  Boulevard  Sarmiento  in  an  excel- 
lent l)ut  not  central  location.  It  is  finely  equipped,  and  is 
like  a  palace  with  its  large  courtyard  enclosed  by  pillared 
balconies.  The  hotel  has  been  a  "white  elephant" 
because  it  is  too  fine  for  the  city.  Mr.  Scheindl  tells  me 
that  in  the  hotel  line,  the  Tucumanos  always  want  some- 
thing for  nothing,  and  when  the  inhabitants  give  their  big 
balls  at  the  Savoy,  he  either  runs  behind  or  else  only 
breaks  even;  otherwise,  if  he  insisted  that  they  pay  what 
he  thought  would  be  just,  they  would  boycott  him  in  the 
future.  The  other  hotels  which  are  in  the  central  part  of 
the  city  are  the  Europe,  the  Paris,  and  the  Frascati,  the 
first  mentioned  being  the  best.  The  Frascati  is  owned  by 
the  Palladini  brothers,  one  of  them,  Attilio,  having  been 
former  manager  of  the  Savoy.  When  I  knew  Attilio 
Palladini  several  years  ago,  he  was  the  courier  of  the 
Parque  Hotel  in  Montevideo,  and  ([uit  it  to  be  head  portier 
of  the  Hotel  Savoy  in  Buenos  Aires. 

In  Tucuman  itself,  there  is  nothing  of  interest  for  the 
sightseer.  It  is  only  a  large  commercial  town  in  a  fine 
agricuhural   district   dependent   on    the    sugar    industry. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  125 

Contrary  to  the  fabrications  the  stranger  will  hear  else- 
where in  Argentina  knocking  it,  saying  that  it  is  a  fever 
hotbed,  it  is  a  sanitary  place  for  the  person  that  has  the 
price  to  indulge  in  mineral  waters  as  beverages,  for  its  own 
water  is  not  potable,  owing  to  the  sediment  and  dust  that 
it  contains.  Talking  with  business  men  about  investment 
of  capital  in  Tucuman,  theie  does  not  seem  to  be  much 
encouragement  in  the  manufacturing  line.  A  flour  mill 
would  undoubtedly  pay,  and  there  is  a  splendid  opportu- 
nity to  start  a  steam  laundry,  as  there  is  a  constant  com- 
plaint about  the  present  one.  It  does  its  work  poorly  and 
charges  exorbitant  prices.  It  is  said  that  a  small  ice  plant 
in  one  of  the  neighboring  towns,  which  would  supply  the 
wants  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  thickly  inhabited  districts, 
would  also  pay.  A  brewery  has  started  in  Tucuman, 
named  the  Cerveceria  del  Norte  (Northern  Brewery).  It 
is  controlled  by  the  Quilmes  people  and  has  a  large  enough 
capacity  to  supply  entire  Argentina  if  necessary.  Its 
brands  of  beer  from  light  to  dark  are  Rubia,  Tucma.  and 
Oran.     Rubia  is  very  palatable. 

I  became  acquainted  with  a  photographer  in  Tucuman, 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Kirwin  of  New  York.  He  came  down  here 
as  a  photographer  eight  years  ago,  and  wants  to  get  back 
home.  He  says  it  is  much  easier  for  a  man  to  get  down 
there  than  to  get  back.  He  seems  to  have  a  fair  business, 
photographing  machinery  at  the  different  mills  and  at  the 
railroad  yards  at  Tafi  Viejo.  Many  of  his  photographs  of 
family  groups  have  yellow  chemicals  smeared  over  the  faces 
of  the  clients  on  the  plates.     I  asked  him  why  this  was. 

"You  see,"  said  he,  "most  of  the  natives  have  Indian 
blood.  It  is  supposed  to  be  much  nicer  if  this  origin 
would  be  unknown,  therefore  I  have  to  put  this  chemical 
on  the  plates  so  their  faces  will  have  a  decidedly  European 
cast  in  the  photograph." 


126  Journeys  and  Experiences 

It  is  customary  for  the  relatives  of  dead  persons  to  have 
photographs  taken  of  their  once  beloved.  Mr.  Kirwin  had 
a  choice  collection  of  these  local  corpses  which  he  insisted 
on  showing  me;  there  were  over  sixty.  Among  them  were 
some  "tasty"  specimens,  some  being  victims  of  the  bu- 
bonic plague  in  19 13.  Some  were  unrecognizable,  charred 
masses  of  flesh  that  had  been  human  before  the  subjects 
perished  in  a  fire,  while  others  were  the  gruesome  counte- 
nances of  cadavers  whose  faces  were  partially  eaten  away 
by  cancer. 

.  While  in  Mendoza,  I  thought  the  canine  population  was 
excessive.  It  is  small  compared  with  that  of  Tucuman. 
In  this  city  every  criolla  has  two  or  more  Mexican  hairless 
dogs,  and  the  number  of  hybrids  between  bulldog,  Great 
Dane,  whiffet,  and  old  hound  is  appalling.  Three  hun- 
dred thousand  dogs  is,  I  think,  a  low  estimate  of  the 
canine  inhabitants  of  the  city.  None  are  muzzled;  but 
few  are  fed;  and  all  run  after  bicycles,  automobiles,  and 
wagons.  They  make  night  hideous  by  howling,  and 
fighting  about  the  possession  of  putrid  bones,  mule  dung, 
and  garbage. 

From  Tucuman  there  is  a  trip  that  the  visitor  should 
not  fail  to  miss.  This  is  the  twenty-mile  automobile  ride 
to  the  settlement  and  summer  resort  of  Villa  Nougues, 
4225  feet  above  the  plain  on  which  the  city  is  built. 
Nougues  is  situated  not  far  from  the  summit  of  the  wooded 
mountains  southwest  of  Tucuman.  The  road  leads  due 
west,  and  then  swerves  to  the  south  past  populous  farm- 
ing country  and  through  the  village  of  Verba  Buena  to  the 
sugar  mill  and  colony  of  San  Pablo,  where  Dr.  Nougues  has 
his  palatial  mansion,  and  private  church.  His  beautiful 
estate  lies  on  gently  sloping  ground  two  miles  east  of  the 
wooded  mountains.  All  provisions  for  the  summer 
colony  and  hotel  at. Villa  Nougues  must  be  taken  up  by 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   127 

wagon  or  by  automobile  from  Tucuman.  Most  of  the 
heavy  trucking  is  done  by  means  of  ox  carts.  Early  in  the 
morning  we  met  at  San  Pablo  several  of  these  oxcarts 
plodding  slowly  up  the  country  road,  and  at  night  on  our 
return  to  the  city  we  met  these  same  teams  only  half- 
way up  the  mountain,  so  hard  is  the  pull  on  the  beasts. 


Residence  of  Dr.  Juan  C.  Nougues,  San  Pablo 

The  gentleman  in  the  foreground  is  Senor  Scheindl,  manager  of  the  Hotel  Savoy  in 

Tucuman 


When  the  road  reaches  the  mountains  it  makes  a  serpen- 
tine, and  then  zigzags  upward  through  the  semi-tropical 
forest  abounding  with  orange  and  crimson  cannas.  Ever 
so  often  through  the  umbrageous  trees  and  giant  ferns,  a 
panorama  is  to  be  had  of  the  plain  of  Tucuman  with  its 
rectangular  fields  of  sugar  cane  and  small  towns  with  their 
usines. 

Arrived  at  the  settlement  of  Villa  Nougues  is  the  hotel 
where  parties  from  the  city  come  up  on  hot  days  to  enjoy 
the  cool  invigorating  air.     Seated  on  the  porch  of  Dr. 


128  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Teran's  house,  which  is  near  the  hotel,  in  company  of  Dr. 
Teran,  Governor  Padilla,  Senor  Scheindl,  and  a  rich  sugar 
planter  named  Rouges,  we  looked  across  the  broad  long 
plain,  styled  the  "Europe  of  Argentina,"  and  I  learned 
many  interesting  facts.  The  valley  of  the  Rio  Sali  which 
crosses  the  province  from  north  to  south,  is  fed  by  twenty- 
five  rivers  which  flow  into  it  from  the  west  to  the  east. 


Country  House  at  Villa  Nougues 

The  Sali  flows  southward  and  is  finally  lost  in  a  large 
brackish  lake,  the  Mar  Chiquita  in  the  Province  of  Cor- 
doba. The  great  industrial  and  agricultural  plain,  with  its 
sugar  mills  among  which  are  the  usines  of  San  Jose,  San 
Antonio,  San  Pablo,  Paraiso,  and  countless  others  and  its 
railroad  workshops  at  Tafi  Viejo.  has  a  cultivated  area  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres.  It  was  originally 
thickly  forested  as  can  be  testified  by  occasional  uncleared 
patches.  Here  civilization  preceded  the  railroad,  and  only 
in  the  poorer  part  of  the  province  in  the  direction  of 
Santiago  del  Estero  did  the  railroad  come  first.     This 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  129 

valley  is  the  cradle  of  Argentine  liberty,  for  here  the 
Spaniards  having  gone  through  the  country  like  a  steam 
mower,  were  finally  decisively  beaten  in  battle,  and  July 
9,  18 1 6,  at  Tucuman,  the  Argentine  Confederation  was 
bom. 

Three  kilometers  west  of  Villa  Nougues  is  the  summit 
of  the  foothills.  Looking  west  from  this  summit,  the  vista 
of  the  San  Javier  Valley,  with  its  forested  mountains, 
and  with  its  wooded  detached  hills  rising  from  the  midst 
of  cultivated  river  bottoms,  Alpine  pastures,  and  numerous 
streams,  is  like  that  of  the  Inn  in  Tirol,  although  it  is  here 
even  more  beautiful.  The  Catamarca  mountains,  snow- 
capped domed  Aconquija,  and  the  bleak  Andes  form  the 
western  background,  behind  which  the  sun  sinks  in  the 
aureate  splendor  of  a  fireball.  This  is  one  of  the  finest 
views  in  the  world  and  should  be  seen  in  the  late  afternoon. 


CHAPTER  \'I 


CORDOBA 


Cordoba  is  the  third  province  of  Argentina  in  popu- 
lation, it  having  had  in  1914,  732,727  inhabitants.  In 
area  it  contains  62,160  square  miles.  It  is  the  heart  of 
Argentina,  being  situated  in  the  center  of  the  republic. 
The  eastern  part  is  pampa  while  the  western  part  is  a 
high,  dry  plateau,  traversed  from  north  to  south  by 
mountain  ranges  notably  among  which  are  chains  of 
Pocho  and  Ischilin.  These  mountain  ranges  which  are 
two  hundred  miles  in  length  are  isolated  from  the  Andean 
system;  their  southernmost  extremities  are  named  the 
Sierra  de  Cordoba  and  are  a  veritable  karst  like  the 
Kuestenlande  of  Austria,  gray  granite  boulders  being 
everywhere.  The  eastern  slopes  of  this  karst  are  covered 
with  a  thick  vegetation  of  mesquite  and  other  shrubs  due 
to  the  moist  Atlantic  winds,  while  their  western  slopes  are 
destitute  of  vegetation.  The  air  here  is  dry  and  refreshing 
and  the  Sierra  de  Cordoba  enjoys  the  same  role  in  Argentina 
that  Colorado  does  in  the  United  States,  being  the  haunt 
of  consumptives.  Likewise  the  Sierra  is  the  playground 
of  many  wealthy  Buenos  Aires  families,  for  it  is  a  treat  to 
them  to  get  away  from  the  level  monotonous  plain  upon 
which  their  city  is  built.  West  and  northwest  of  the 
isolated  mountain  chain  is  a  vast  barren  desert,  part  of  it 
being  called  the  Salinas  Grandes  on  account  of  the  white 

13^ 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     131 

surface  of  the  soil  due  to  saline  deposits.  Cordoba  is 
watered  by  five  rivers  named  the  Primero,  Segundo, 
Tercero,  Quarto,  and  Quinto  (which  means  First,  Second, 
Third,  Fourth,  and  Fifth).  These  rivers  are  used  for  irri- 
gating purposes,  for  water  power,  and  for  electricity.  The 
whole  province  is  noted  for  the  pureness  of  its  well  water, 
artesian  wells  abounding.  Every  few  years  the  locust  or 
grasshopper  plague  hits  Argentina,  and  when  it  comes  it 
strikes  Cordoba  unusually  hard.  One  of  the  frontispiece 
photographs  shows  a  locust  trap  on  a  Cordoba  farm. 
This  is  the  catch  of  two  days,  the  corrugated  iron  plates 
having  been  spread  with  honey  mixed  with  poison.  I 
consider  this  one  of  the  most  remarkable  photographs  ever 
published. 

The  trip  from  Tucuman  to  Cordoba  is  an  1 1  hours'  trip 
of  340  miles  by  the  Central  of  Cordoba  Railroad.  The 
track  is  narrow  gauge,  but  the  sleepers,  dining  car,  and 
service  are  the  best  that  I  have  ever  chanced  on  in  Argen- 
tina. All  trains  between  the  two  cities  make  the  trip  by 
night,  for  in  the  daytime  the  heat  and  glare  of  the  sun  on 
the  Salinas  Grandes,  a  great  salt  desert  midway  between 
the  two  cities,  is  unbearable.  This  desert  abounds  with 
rattlesnakes,  called  "cascabel."  I  met  a  tramp  who 
walked  from  Tucumam  to  Cordoba;  he  was  afraid  to  lie 
down  by  the  wayside  to  rest  on  account  of  these  reptiles. 
In  one  day  he  killed  over  fifty  of  them. 

The  first  eighty  miles  of  the  journey  crosses  about  as 
pleasant  a  country  as  can  be  found  anywhere,  passing 
through  the  cities  of  Bella  Vista,  La  Madrid,  and  San 
Pedro.  At  the  latter  place,  the  first  town  in  the  Province 
of  Catamarca,  desolation  begins  and  continues  until  day- 
light the  next  morning  when  the  traveler  awakes  at  the 
large  town  of  Dean  Funes,  the  junction  for  San  Juan, 
capital  of  the  province  of  the  same  name.     Low  rocky 


i.v       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chill 

hills  now  rise  in  every  direction;  the  soil,  dry,  parched,  and 
somewhat  stony  is  overrun  with  pampa  grass.  It  is  cool 
and  a  wind  is  invariably  blowing.  The  nature  of  the 
countn,'  continues  this  way  almost  to  Cordoba,  although 
before  reaching  that  city,  the  hills  to  the  southwest  take 
the  form  and  acquire  the  height  of  mountains. 

Cordoba,  the  third  city  of  Argentina,  has  a  population, 
exclusive  of  its  suburbs,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  was  founded  in  1573  by  Luis  Geronimo 
de  Cabrera,  and  has  always  been  noted  as  a  seat  of  learn- 
ing and  of  religion.  Its  university,  which  vies  with  that  of 
San  Marcos  in  Lima  in  being  the  oldest  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere,  w^as founded  June  19,  1613,  by  a  Jesuit  father, 
Fernando  de  Trejo  y  Sanabria.  The  first  printing  press 
in  Argentina  was  brought  to  this  university  from  Lima 
in  1765.  Caspar  Rodriguez  de  Francia,  Paraguay's  able 
dictator,  was  a  graduate  of  Cordoba's  university.  The 
churches,  cloisters,  convents,  and  religious  institutions  of 
the  city  are  innumerable,  and  it  is  estimated  that  over 
six  thousand  of  its  inhabitants  are  connected  with  the 
religious  orders  and  organizations.  Cordoba  is  one  of  the 
cleanest  cities  in  America,  and  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  place 
where  civic  pride,  park  system,  cleanliness  of  house  ex- 
teriors, public  buildings,  pavement,  hotels,  cafes,  depart- 
ment stores,  banks,  residences,  religious  edifices,  and  water 
supply  taken  as  a  whole  can  equal  that  of  it.  Many 
cities  may  excel  it  in  one  or  two  of  the  above  mentioned 
institutions  but  not  in  the  majority.  Personally  I  would 
not  care  to  live  there  unless  engaged  in  some  business,  as 
there  are  too  many  "lungers,"  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
try is  but  a  dry  and  rocky  karst;  the  diversion  of  street 
life  would  soon  become  irksome,  for  with  the  exception  of 
cafes,  moving  picture  shows,  theaters,  and  an  occasional 
horse  race,  no  Argentine  city  possesses  any  real  live  amuse- 


u 


e 

0) 

■s 

o 


133 


134  Journeys  and  Experiences 

ment  places,  exceptin^^  those  that  are  synonymous  with 
lights  seen  through  carmine  transoms,  and  they  happily 
are  not  in  my  line. 

I  can  see  no  reason  for  Cordoba's  existence  and  growth. 
The  soil  of  the  country  is  poor  and  rocly\',  while  the  rainfall 
is  slight.  In  the  year  191 5,  seven  months  elapsed  without 
a  drop  falling.  The  city  is  situated  to  the  west  of  the 
productive  part  of  the  province,  and  from  it  westward  to 
San  Juan  at  the  foot  of  the  Andes,  the  countn,^  is  the 
poorest  in  the  republic.  Yet  Cordoba  has  had  a  rapid 
growth  recently.  In  the  mianufacturing  line,  it  has  three 
breweries,  that  of  PoUak  and  Brueck,  generally  called  the 
Cordoba  Brewery ;  that  of  the  Ahrens,  and  the  main  brew- 
ery of  the  Rio  Segundo  Company.  There  is  a  large  flour 
mill  owned  by  Minetti,  an  Italian,  and  several  brickyards. 
Here  are  also  located  the  shops  of  the  Central  of  Cordoba 
Railroad. 

The  chief  industry  of  Cordoba  is  brewing,  this  being 
largely  due  to  the  remarkable  pureness  of  its  well  water 
which  is  artesian.  Senor  Nicolas  J.  Oderigo,  manager  of 
the  bank  of  the  Argentine  nation,  wrote  me  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  Mr.  C.  Davis,  president  of  the  Rio  Segundo 
Brewing  Company,  which  I  visited  in  the  company  of  Senor 
Stangc,  an  employee  of  Oderigo's  bank,  and  whom  he  had 
the  kindness  to  send  with  me  to  accompany  me.  This 
large  brewery  has  a  branch  at  the  town  of  Rio  Segundo, 
which  was  the  original  brewery.  The  Rio  II.  Brewery  is 
an  independent  brewery,  not  being  allied  to  the  Quilmes 
outfit  as  is  generally  supposed.  Mr.  Davis  received  me 
courteously  and  after  having  shown  me  the  establishment 
invited  Stange  and  myself  to  his  house  where  he  enter- 
tained us  at  dinner.  Senor  Stange  is  either  a  German  or  of 
German  descent,  but  when  I  asked  him  about  it  he  denied 
it,  and  also  told  me  he  could  not  speak  a  word  of  that 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    135 

language.  A  day  or  two  later  I  passed  by  him  while  he 
was  seated  in  animated  conversation  in  a  cafe  with  two 
other  men,  and  the  language  he  was  conversing  in  was 
German.  As  Mr.  Davis  is  an  EngUshman,  Stange  evi- 
dently had  private  reasons  to  cover  his  nationality.  The 
brewmaster  of  the  Rio  II.  Brewery  told  me  that  brewing 
was  not  a  profitable  industry  in  Argentina,  because  the 
Ouilmes  company  was  a  trust  and  its  members  being 
affihated  with  the  political  party  that  is  in  power,  it  has 
the  capital  and  the  means  to  drive  the  smaller  breweries  to 
the  wall,  by  stringent  legislation  and  usurious  taxation. 
This  Rio  II.  Brewery  is  smaller  than  the  large  breweries 
of  Detroit,  yet  it  pays  more  taxes  than  does  the  Anheuser- 
Busch  Brewery  or  the  Pabst  or  Schlitz  breweries. 

The  Cordoba  Brewery  as  I  have  mentioned  is  owned  by 
PoUak  and  Brueck.  Pollak  is  an  Austrian  Jew  who  mar- 
ried a  Cordoba  woman,  and  who  turned  Roman  Catholic 
to  get  prestige,  but  like  most  people  who  are  members  of 
the  race  he  abjured,  his  business  methods  are  not  con- 
sidered synonymous  with  good  faith. 

His  beer,  to  my  idea,  is  the  most  palatable  of  any  of  the 
Cordobese  beers.  Amber  is  the  name  of  his  Hght  product, 
while  Muenchen  is  that  of  his  dark.  With  the  towns- 
people his  product  is  the  most  popular,  notwithstanding 
his  personal  unpopularity. 

The  approach  to  Cordoba  by  rail  is  similar  on  a  small 
scale  to  that  of  La  Paz,  Bolivia,  for  both  cities  lie  in  a 
pocket  in  the  hills  and  their  presence  is  not  visible  until 
the  ground  of  the  plain  above  them  drops  away,  and  they 
are  seen  below  you.  The  pocket  which  contains  La  Paz 
is  ten  times  deeper,  the  surprise  of  the  traveler  on  first 
viewing  the  city  being  that  of  astonishment ;  but  here  in 
Cordoba,  although  the  scale  is  exceedingly  miniature,  the 
conditions  are  analogous.     The  growth  of  Cordoba  has 


13^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

been  such  that  there  is  no  more  room  left  for  building  in 
the  pocket,  so  now  the  new  resident  who  wishes  to  build  a 
home  of  his  own  is  obliged  to  do  so  on  the  plain  above  the 
city.  Several  suburbs  have  sprung  up  and  go  l^y  the  names 
of  Alta  Cordoba.  Alberdi,  and  Nueva  Cordoba. 

Alta  Cordoba  can  be  likened  to  the  station  Alto  de  La 
Paz,  although  here  there  is  quite  a  large  town.  Here  is 
situated  the  Central  of  Cordoba  railroad  station  with  the 
railroad  u'orkshops,  and  a  market  named  Mercado  del 
Norte.  A  fine,  broad  avenue  winds  from  Alta  Cordoba  in 
big  curves,  down  a  cleft  in  the  hillside,  passes  under  a 
stone  railroad  bridge,  and  reaches  the  river  bottom  at  the 
beautiful  shady  park  of  Las  Heras.  It  now  crosses  the 
Rio  Primero  over  a  new  stone  bridge,  named  the  Centen- 
ario,  at  whose  end  is  the  Avenue  General  Paz.  This  is 
where  begins  the  city  proper,  which  on  the  floor  of  the 
valley  is  twenty-one  blocks  wide  by  thirty-one  blocks 
long,  and  which  does  not  include  the  other  suburbs  in  the 
pocket  which  are  named  San  Vicente  at  the  eastern  and 
Villa  Paez  at  the  western  ends  of  the  original  town. 

The  Plaza  San  Martin  is  in  the  center  of  Cordoba  and  is 
the  nucleus  of  the  city  life.  From  here  run  straight  streets 
east  and  west,  and  north  and  south  which  are  the  busy 
ones  of  the  capital.  On  the  plaza  is  the  cathedral,  two 
of  the  leading  banks,  and  the  best  hotels.  The  business 
arrangement  of  this  particular  section  is  like  that  of 
Tucuman.  The  great  show  street  is  the  aristocratic  and 
superbly  beautiful  Avenida  General  Paz,  beginning  at  the 
plaza  of  the  same  name  at  the  Centenario  Bridge  and 
continuing  ten  blocks  southward  to  the  Plaza  Velez 
Sarsfield.  This  street  is  the  handsomest  in  Argentina. 
From  the  Plaza  Velez  Sarsfield  there  is  a  continuation  of 
it  to  the  heights  beyond  the  city  proper,  and  wliicl:  is  here 
named  the  Avenida  Velez  Sarsfield. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   137 

From  the  Plaza  Velez  Sarsfield  the  new  Avenida  Argen- 
tina, destined  to  become  the  most  exclusive  residential 
street  of  the  city  on  account  of  the  high  price  of  the  ter- 
rain, ascends  to  the  plazas  Centenario  and  Dean  Funes  at 
the  entrance  of  Sormiento  Park,  Cordoba's  playground. 


Cathedral  of  Cordoba 


Halfway  up  the  Avenida  Argentina  on  the  left-hand  side 
stands  a  magnificent  and  imposing  mansion,  that  of 
Sefior  Martin  Ferreyra.  It  is  a  landmark,  and  seen  from 
the  plain  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  city,  it  looms  up  as  if 
it  dominates  over  the  city  and  no  other  building  seems  as 
large.  It  has  already  cost  its  owner  over  three  million 
pesos  ($1,281,000)  and  is  not  yet  completed. 


138      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

"How  did  Seiior  Ferreyra  make  his  money? "  I  asked  the 
chauffeur. 

"His  father  left  a  large  sum  of  money  which  had  been 
handed  down  from  several  generations.  Martin  Ferreyra 
was  made  administrator  of  his  father's  estate  and  cheated 
the  other  heirs  out  of  their  share,  "  was  his  answer. 

The  zoological  garden   at   the   Parque   vSarmiento   lies 


Residence  of  Martin  Ferreyra,  Cordoba 


in  a  cleft  of  the  ridge  and  was  laid  out  in  19 14  by  a  Ger- 
man engineer.  It  is  open  to  the  public  Thursdays  and 
Sundays  and  is  entered  by  descending  in  a  funicular  or  by 
a  circuitous  way  on  foot.  Although  it  is  planned  to  house 
many  animals,  the  only  large  mammals  there  at  present 
are  some  seals  which  sport  beneath  the  spray  of  an  arti- 
ficial cascade,  and  a  pair  of  lions  which  a  Montevideo 
gentleman  presented  to  an  ex-governor  of  Cordoba,  who 
has  loaned  them  to  the  city,  probably  at  the  expense  of  the 
latter. 

Debreczen,  Hungary,  is  nicknamed  locally,   "Rome  of 


Ol 


139 


I40  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  Protestants";  Cordoba  is  nicknamed  "Rome  of 
Argentina  "  on  account  of  its  numerous  churches,  convents, 
monasteries,  other  reHgious  institutions,  and  multitude  of 
priests.  There  are  several  thousand  of  the  latter  body  of 
men ;  they  and  the  soldiers  are  not  reckoned  in  the  national 
census  of  urban  population  for  they  are  constantly  mo\-ing 
from  place  to  place.  There  are  fourteen  large  churches 
including  the  cathedral,  and  sixteen  other  Catholic  Houses 
of  God  which  would  be  considered  large  in  the  United 
States,  but  which  are  here  classed  as  mediocre.  In  con- 
trast with  the  churches  of  all  the  rest  of  South  America, 
excepting  those  of  Brazil,  those  of  Northern  Argentina  are 
much  more  beautiful  with  their  splendid  facades,  domes, 
and  towers,  the  latter  being  roofed  with  variegated  porce- 
lain tiles,  blues  predominating.  Cordoba,  Tucuman,  and 
Salt  a  are  especially  rich  in  the  appearance  of  their  churches, 
Tucuman  taking  the  lead  in  the  ornateness  of  the  tiles. 
In  Cordoba  are  the  large  churches  of  IMerced,  Jesuit 
Fathers,  and  Santo  Domingo,  but  by  far  the  largest  and 
finest  church  in  all  Argentina  is  the  cathedral,  three  centu- 
ries old,  its  architecture  being  that  of  the  current  Spanish 
style  that  was  in  vogue  at  the  time  it  was  built.  There  are 
a  few  cathedrals  in  America  larger,  those  of  Montreal, 
Mexico  City,  Lima,  New  York,  Santiago,  Bahia,  Monte- 
video, and  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  order  of  their  size,  but  none 
excel  that  of  Cordoba  in  proud  richness. 

It  is  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  America  with  the  best 
mural  paintings  of  any.  In  this  latter  respect  it  is  only 
exceeded  by  those  of  Italy.  Its  towers  and  dome  are  not 
tiled,  as  that  art  was  copied  from  tlie  Portuguese  and 
Brazilians  only  during  the  last  century.  Decadent 
Romanesque,  it  has  a  solemn  dignity  of  its  own. 

Of  the  hotels,  the  Plaza  is  the  best.  It  is  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  Plaza  San  Martin,  and  is  new.     It  is  a 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    141 

solid  four-story  structure,  with  good  rooms,  and  is  well 
furnished  but  poorly  managed.  There  is  a  sunparlor  on 
the  second  floor.  The  manager  told  me  that  most  of  the 
rooms  have  baths  in  connection,  but  in  this  he  lied.  I  do 
not  believe  that  any  of  the  rooms  have  a  private  bath. 
This  same  manager,  an  Engadine  Swiss,  was  formerly  the 
head  portier  of  the  Hotel  Savoy  in  Rosario.     I  knew  him 


Zoological  Garden,  Cordoba 


of  old,  and  crookedness  is,  with  him,  second  nature.  The 
restaurant  of  the  Plaza  Hotel  is  the  best  in  the  city.  It  is 
on  the  ground  floor  and  has  a  street  entrance ;  in  connection 
with  it  is  a  cafe  and  a  confectionery  store.  The  meals  are 
a  la  carte,  but  I  understand  that  people  staying  at  the 
Plaza  for  any  length  of  time  may  get  pension.  The  cafe 
is  a  large  one,  on  the  Viennese  style,  and  connects  with 
the  restaurant  by  a  passageway  under  a  platform  on  top 
of  which  are  stationed  the  orchestra,  so  that  the  musical 
wants  of  both  the  eaters  and  drinkers  can  be  satisfied  at 
the  same  time.     The  bar  is  on  the  United  States  style, 


142  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  as  is  seldom  the  case  in  South  America  and  not  fre- 
quent enough  in  North  America,  the  back  bar  is  deep 
enough  to  give  the  bartenders  working  space,  and  allows 
them  enough  room  to  reach  for  a  bottle  without  getting 
into  each  other's  way. 

Across  Calle  San  Geronimo  from  the  Hotel  Plaza  is  the 
Hotel  San  Martin,  a  good  house,  and  managed  by  the 


Comer  of  Plaza  San  Martin,  Cordoba 


former  manager  of  the  Plaza.  This  manager  holds  the 
unenviable  reputation  of  cheating  his  foreign  help.  In 
Argentina,  a  native  or  a  naturalized  citizen  always  wins 
out  in  a  lawsuit.  When  I  asked  some  of  the  ex-employees 
of  the  San  Martin  why  they  did  not  sue  the  manager  for 
their  back  wages  which  they  claimed  were  deliberately 
withheld,  they  said: 

"We  would  look  fine  as  Spaniards  and  Austrians  going 
up  against  an  Argentino  in  court  here.  The  manager 
would  trump  up  some  lie,  and  have  us  arrested  on  some 
false  charge  and  it  would  work." 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  143 

Another  good  hotel  is  the  Roma,  two  stories  high  and 
built  on  the  patio  system. 

The  Central  Argentina  Railroad  and  the  Central  of 
Cordoba  both  print  luxurious  illustrated  folders  and  do 
much  advertising  relative  to  the  beauties  and  charming 
mountain  scenery  of  the  Sierra  de  Cordoba,  an  uninterest- 
ing range  of  quasi  barren  hills  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
city.  My  advice  to  strangers  is  to  pay  no  attention  to 
these  deceptive  advertisements  and  not  to  go  there,  for 
the  person  that  "bites"  feels  afterwards  like  "the  fool 
with  his  money  parted."  This  last  might  apply  to 
pecuniary  losses  that  are  apt  to  befall  him  at  the  green 
cloth  tables  in  Alta  Gracia.  This  vSierra  de  Cordoba  is 
an  irregular  mass  of  rocky  hills,  which  in  some  places 
attains  the  form  of  mountains.  The  summits  are  over 
four  thousand  feet  high  and  where  this  altitude  is  reached 
in  the  mountains  to  the  west,  the  Cordobese  call  them  Los 
Gigantes  (The  Giants)  for  they  have  never  seen  any 
mountains  that  are  greater.  They  are  covered  with 
brush,  while  here  and  there  is  a  small  tree.  As  for  scenic 
beautv  they  are  not  worth  three  cents. 

Alta  Gracia  is  a  great  gambling  establishment  licensed 
by  the  provincial  authorities,  and  as  these  railroad  com- 
panies know  the  bend  of  the  native  mind,  advertise  this 
place  which  besides  the  gambling  house  is  nothing  but  a 
large  hotel,  a  hamlet,  and  an  old  mission  church.  I  visited 
all  the  advertised  places  which  include  Dique  San  Roque, 
Cosquin,  La  Falda,  Tanti,  and  Capilla  de  Monte  and  found 
none  worth  the  while.  Dique  San  Roque  is  a  dam  some- 
what similar  to  the  Sweetwater  Dam  near  San  Diego, 
California,  where  a  greenish  lake  empties  its  waters  into 
the  Calera  River  to  supply  electrical  power.  It  is  twenty 
miles  from  Cordoba,  the  last  five  being  the  only  part  of  the 
trip  that  can  come  anywhere  near  to  being  classified  under 


144  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  title  scenen-.  The  hills  here  are  wooded  with  small 
trees,  and  the  dangerous  automobile  road  runs  around 
promontories  on  ledges  where  the  slightest  mishap  with 
the  steering  would  shoot  both  passenger  and  chauffeur 
into  eternity. 

To  go  to  Cosquin,   thirty-seven  miles  from  Cordoba, 
keep  straight  ahead   until  you  reach  the  stone  marked 


Bridge  on  Road  to  Dique  San  Roque 

Beneath  the  arch  of  this  bridge  some  gipsy  families  have  taken  their  abode 


kilometro  28,  which  is  the  turning-ofif  place  for  Dique  San 
Roque.  Keep  straight  ahead  and  you  will  come  to  the 
hamlet  of  San  Roque  where  is  a  church  and  the  residence 
of  the  jefe  politico.  A  road  to  the  left  leads  to  Alta 
Gracia,  but  that  to  the  right  goes  to  Cosquin.  After  a 
long  drive  over  the  rocky  karst,  the  village  of  Villa  Bialet 
Masset  is  reached.  It  consists  of  a  long  dusty  street 
flanked  by  sordid  one-story  houses.  A  National  Con- 
sumptives Home  on  a  grandiose  scale  is  here.  The  scenery 
has  become  better  as  there  is  a  green,  although  dusty 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  145 

valley  watered  by  the  Cosquin  River.  Cosquin  is  an 
unattractive  town  of  three  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
Hotel  Mundial  serves  good  meals  but  there  is  no  diversion 
for  its  guests,  who  pass  the  time  of  day  reading  novels  on 
the  veranda  or  slumber  in  the  garden. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Province  of  Cordoba  talk  in  a 
sing  song  manner  and  are  known  by  their  fashion  of  articu- 
lation in  any  part  of  the  republic  they  may  chance  to 
find  themselves  in. 

It  is  a  ten  hours'  ride  on  the  accommodation  train  from 
Cordoba  to  Rosario,  although  the  express  trains  which 
run  by  night  only  shorten  the  time  by  a  couple  of  hours. 
The  country  is  a  dry  but  productive  plain,  and  is  fairly 
thickly  settled;  every  few  miles  there  is  a  town.  These 
range  from  a  few  hundred  to  a  few  thousand  inhabitants. 
In  the  summer  of  1916  the  whole  region  had  been  planted 
to  corn,  but  the  locust  pest  had  been  so  busy  that  there 
was  nothing  left  but  the  bare  stalks.  This  disaster 
reached  to  the  outskirts  of  Rosario.  The  locusts  had  even 
eaten  all  the  leaves  off  the  trees,  their  naked  branches 
having  the  appearance  of  their  winter  garb.  Millions 
of  dollars  had  gone  to  waste  on  account  of  them,  and 
I  know  an  estanciero  in  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires  who 
in  a  single  year  had  destroyed  by  them  sixty-five  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  crops.  They  attack  everything  but  the 
garden  truck,  and  by  their  sputum  poison  the  streams. 
A  man  should  never  buy  land  for  crops  in  Argentina  with- 
out reckoning  on  this  plague. 

The  Province  of  Santa  Fe  had,  according  to  the  last 
census,  a  population  of  1,111,426,  ranking  in  this  line 
the  second  of  the  Argentine  provinces.  Its  area  is  50,916 
square  miles  and  has  as  its  capital  city,  Santa  Fe,  which 
has  a  population  of  91,636.  Rosario,  frequently  called 
Rosario  de  Santa  Fe  to  distinguish  it  from  Rosario  de 


146      Argentina,  Paraguay",  and  Chile 

La  Frontera  in  the  Province  of  Salta,  is  the  largest  city. 
Its  population  is  316,914,  it  being  the  second  city  of  Ar- 
gentina, and  the  sixth  in  South  America,  those  larger 
in  order  being  Buenos  Aires,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Sao  Paulo, 
Santiago,  and  Montevideo. 

Rosario  was  founded  by  Francisco  Godoy  in  1725,  but 
its  growth  dates  from  recent  years.  Although  its  aspect 
was  practically  the  same  as  when  I  saw  it  three  years 
previously,  I  could  not  help  noticing  that  now  there  were 
much  greater  crowds  on  the  streets  than  formerly,  and 
that  the  principal  business  street  had  changed  from  the 
Calle  General  San  Martin  to  its  intersector,  Calle  Cor- 
doba. It  is  the  outlet  to  a  grain  country  superior  to  that 
behind  Buenos  Aires,  and  is  the  livest  commercial  city 
in  Argentina.  Theie  are  quite  a  few  local  industries  such 
as  car  shops,  a  sugar  refinery,  grain  elevators,  flour  mills, 
and  breweries.  The  largest  importing  house  in  Argentina, 
that  of  Chiesa  Brothers,  is  located  here  as  well  as  the 
largest  drug  firm.  The  city  is  essentially  Italian,  its 
influence  predominating,  although  numerically  the  other 
foreigners  and  natives  together  have  a  larger  population 
than  the  immigrants  from  the  Lavinian  shores.  Rosario 
is  also  a  center  for  artisans,  their  sculptors  vying  with 
those  of  Genoa  in  the  chiseling  of  marble  for  tombs  and 
statuary  in  Buenos  Aires  and  in  different  parts  of  South 
America.  The  city  is  by  no  means  beautiful  nor  can  it  ever 
be  on  account  of  the  flatness  of  its  location.  There  are 
eight  small  plazas  but  none  of  them  are  near  the  center 
of  business.  The  streets  are  narrow,  and  are  solidly  lined 
with  buildings  many  of  which  are  imposing.  This  with 
the  absence  of  plazas  as  breathing  spaces,  together  with 
the  street  crowds  give  to  Rosario  an  entirely  commercial 
atmosphere.  The  courthouse  is  a  large,  long  pile  with  a 
high  domed  tower  surmounting  the  center,  and  is  one  of 


147 


148      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

the  most  imposing  buildings  in  Argentina.  It  is  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Plaza  San  Alartin  about  a  mile  from  the 
hub  of  activity  of  the  city.  On  the  east  side  of  the  same 
plaza,  and  just  completed,  is  the  Police  Headquarters 
covering  an  entire  block  and  inidoubtedly  the  most  modern 
and  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Two  other  fine 
buildings  are  the  Jockey  Club  and  the  Centro  Espaiiol, 
both  also  recently  completed. 


Street  Scene,  Rosario 


The  Hotel  Italia  is  the  best,  although  its  situation  on  a 
side  street,  the  Calle  Maipu,  between  Calles  Rioja  and 
San  Luis  is  poor.  The  Savo}-  where  I  stopped,  was 
formerly  Rosario' s  Blackstone,  but  it  has  greatly  deterio- 
rated in  all  respects.  The  only  thing  attractive  about  it 
is  the  chambermaid  on  the  second  floor,  a  pretty  giggling 
Spanish  damsel.  The  Hotel  de  Mayo  is  a  good  second- 
class  house  and  serves  the  best  meals  of  any  of  the  hotels, 
its  restaurant  rivaling  that  of  the  Rotisserie  Sportsman 
which  is  above  the  Bar  Victoria.    This  Bar  Victoria  is  the 


149 


150 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


finest  refreshment  parlor  in  South  America.  Its  walls  are 
decorated  with  tapestry-,  its  furniture  is  of  mahogany,  and 
its  fixtures  are  of  brass,  kept  well-polished.     It  gave  one 


Street  Scene,  Rosario 

of  the  Catalan  waiters  great  pleasure  to  see  me  cross  its 
threshold  after  an  absence  of  three  years  and  enjoy  a  glass 
of  foaming  Germania  in  the  dull  cathedral  light  of  a  wan- 
ing day. 

Tributary-  to  Rosario,  which  is  their  shopping   center, 
and  inland  some  distance  in  the  heart  of  good  farming 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    151 

lands,  are  three  towns:  Pergamino,  seventy  miles  to  the 
south,  Casilda,  thirty-three  miles  to  the  southwest,  and 
Canada  de  Gomez,  forty-one  miles  to  the  west.  Perga- 
mino, the  largest  of  all,  is  in  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires, 
being  directly  across  the  provincial  line  and  is  a  railroad 
town.     It  is  the  junction  of  several  branch  lines  of  the 


Calle  San  Nicolas,  Pergamino 

The  building  at  the  right  is  the  Hotel  Roma 


Central  of  Argentina  Railroad  and  is  on  the  main  line  of 
the  narrow  gauge  General  Railroads  of  the  Province  of 
Buenos  Aires.  It  has  a  population  of  twenty-eight 
thousand  inhabitants  and  owes  its  prosperity  to  stock 
raising  and  corn  growing. 

This  city  I  visited,  choosing  it  as  a  good  example  of 
campo  town  for  such  is  styled  the  Argentine  prairie,  and 
stopped  over  night  at  the  excellent  Hotel  Roma,  which 
is  not  only  remarkable  as  being  one  of  the  finest  buildings 
in  the  city,  but  strange  to  say  is  one  of  the  few  hotels  in 
Argentina,  excluding  Buenos  Aires,  Rosario,  andTucuman, 


152  Journeys  and  Experiences 

which  has  private  baths  in  connection  with  the  sleeping- 
rooms. 

Mewed  from  the  housetops,  Pergamino  appears  a  city 
of  windmills;  they  rise  everywhere.  Water  being  scarce 
makes  them  a  necessity.  The  city  which  is  compactly 
built  is  fundamentally  Italian.  It  is  compactly  built  but 
has  only  one  main  street,  that  named  San  Nicolas,  which 


Plaza  25  de  Mayo,  Pergamino 

is  paved  with  wooden  creosote  blocks.  The  buildings 
are  mostly  but  a  single  story  high,  and  the  nomenclatures 
over  the  store  entrances  savor  of  the  River  Po  or  the 
Etruscan  Hills.  With  the  exception  of  Calle  San  Nicolas, 
the  other  thoroughfares  are  unpaved.  The  edifices  that 
flank  them  are  of  reddish  brown  brick  with  a  minimum  of 
mortar  or  lime  between  the  cracks.  Like  the  outskirts 
and  side  streets  of  most  of  the  small  towns  of  Argentina, 
the  aspect  is  hideous  and  dismal,  for  the  edifices  are  mere 
brick  hovels  bordering  dusty  lanes,  abounding  with  mon- 
grel curs  that  munch  offal  and  garbage  thrown  from  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     i53 

front  windows  of  the  morgue-like  habitations.  There  is 
in  Pergamino  a  plaza,  named  25  de  Mayo,  several  blocks 
from  the  business  section.  It  is  large  and  poorly  kept  up, 
and  is  bordered  on  all  sides  by  double  rows  of  pine  trees, 
which  have  attained  a  tall  but  slender  growth,  large 
enough  however  to  make  savv^  timber.     These  trees  were 


Street  in  Mercedes 


planted  thirty  years  ago;  at  home  it  would  take  them  one 
hundred  years  to  have  attained  the  same  proportions. 

From  Pergamino  to  Buenos  Aires,  166  miles  by  the 
General  Railroad  of  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires,  only 
two  towns  are  passed  that  have  any  pretext  for  impor- 
tance. They  are  Salto,  thirty-six  miles  from  Pergamino, 
and  Mercedes,  sixty-nine  miles  from  Buenos  Aires. 
Mercedes  has  a  population  of  more  than  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  strange  to  say  its  streets  are  numbered 
instead  of  being  named.  This  system  is  different  from 
ours  for  ist  Street  crosses  25th  Street,  and  34th  Street 
crosses  i6th  Street,  and  so  forth.     It  is  so  arranged  that 


154     Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

the  high -numbered  streets  are  in  the  center  of  the  town 
while  the  low-numbered  ones  are  on  the  outskirts.  When 
the  trains  make  their  first  stop  it  is  at  the  25th  Street 
station.  The  stranger  traveling  through  is  apt  to  say: 
"Gee,  liut  this  is  quite  a  town,"  judging  b}'  the  high 
numbers  of  its  streets,  while  in  reality  1st  Street  is  way 
out  in  the  meadows  far  from  the  activity  of  central  life. 
IMercedes  was  formerly  the  stamping  ground  of  Irish 
immigrants.  Many  of  these  have  become  rich  and  power- 
ful, and  to-day  retain  their  Hibernian  names  without 
speaking  a  word  of  English.  I  met  a  girl  in  Buenos 
Aires  whose  patronymic  was  O'Grady,  yet  she  was  con- 
versant in  no  language  but  Spanish.  Some  of  the 
Irish  settlers  did  not  prosper  as  well  as  the  minority  of 
the  rich  landed  proprietors  of  Mercedes;  this  is  testified 
by  the  native  born  whiskered  Irish  bums  who  immigrated 
from  Mercedes  to  Buenos  Aires  who  are  seen  wandering 
about  the  streets  of  the  Argentine  capital,  garbed  in  rags 
and  invariablv  drunk  on  ginevra,  a  low-grade  gin. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ASUNCION 

Overeating,  oversleeping,  and  overindulgence  in  liquid 
refreshments  (this  applies  to  soft  drinks  as  well  as  to 
others)  constitute  the  whole  time  of  the  stranger  in  Buenos 
Aires,  who  has  nothing  else  to  do,  than,  seated  at  a  table  in 
front  of  one  of  the  cafes  on  the  Avenida  de  Mayo,  to  study 
human  nature,  and  watch  the  endless  stream  of  humanity, 
horses,  cabs,  and  automobiles  pass  by.  Tiring  of  this  I 
thought  of  going  to  Mar  del  Plata  and  from  some  good 
point  of  vantage  gaze  in  admiration  at  the  attractions  of 
that  spa,  and  look  with  pleasure  at  the  latest  Parisian  and 
Bonaerense  creations  that  bedecked  and  showed  off  to 
advantage  the  well-molded  female  forms  of  the  high 
aristocracy  as  they  pass  in  parade  in  front  of  the  Hotel 
Bristol  and  the  Casino. 

Quite  suddenly,  and  very  unusual  for  this  time  of  the 
year,  for  it  was  late  in  February,  a  great  climatic  change 
took  place  and  the  temperature  which  had  been  hovering 
around  the  ioo°  mark  dropped  into  the  fifties.  One 
gloomy  morning,  as  I  stood  gazing  from  the  balcony  of 
my  room  into  the  Avenida  de  Mayo,  watching  the  boule- 
vardiers  being  hurried  along  by  the  strong  wind,  I  decided 
that  Mar  del  Plata  would  be  no  place  for  me.  My 
thoughts  diverted  to  warmer  climes,  Paraguay  and  Brazil. 
There  is  a  Paraguayan  store  on  the  Avenida,  a  favorite 

155 


T5^^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

shopping  place  for  ladies  and  curio  seekers.  It  has  dis- 
plays of  egrets,  feathers,  stuffed  birds,  stuffed  toads, 
crocodiles,  iguanos,  armadillo  shells,  yerba  mate  leaves, 
native  headdresses  of  parrot  wings,  and  beetles.  But 
by  far  the  most  attractive  of  anything  in  the  store  is  the 
fine  Paraguayan  girl,  about  twenty  years  old,  who  waits 
on  the  customers.  I  cannot  call  her  beautiful,  yet  there 
is  something  so  hypnotically  fascinating  about  her  that, 
after  I  first  saw  her.  I  was  always  returning  to  the  store 
again  to  feast  my  eyes  on  her  with  the  pretense  of  making 
some  trivial  purchase.  Whether  it  was  her  eyes,  her  face, 
her  voice,  her  figure  or  her  natural  complexion,  or  all  these 
attractions  combined  that  charmed  me,  I  am  unable  to 
say,  and  my  friends  whom  I  called  in  to  look  at  her  all  said 
that  she  exerted  over  them  the  same  spell.  Every  time 
I  saw  this  girl  I  had  the  longing  to  revisit  Paraguay,  and 
this,  combined  with  the  horrid  weather,  decided  me  at  once 
to  visit  the  land  where  San  Martin,  Francia,  and  Francisco 
Solano  Lopez  first  saw  the  light  of  day. 

I  had  been  in  Paraguay  before,  once  when  Asuncion  was 
under  martial  law,  and  although  I  now  knew  that  I  would 
see  nothing  new  in  visiting  the  country,  there  are  always 
some  places  that  the  traveler  enjoys  seeing  more  than 
once.  Upon  my  leaving  there  before,  great  was  my  rejoic- 
ing when  I  saw  the  blue,  white,  and  blue  flag  of  Argentina 
floating  from  the  flagstaft'  over  the  custom-house  at 
Corrientes,  for  I  knew  that  I  was  once  more  in  a  country  of 
law  and  order.  At  that  time  Paraguay  was  at  the  height 
of  one  of  the  many  revolutions  that  have  continuously 
stained  her  history  for  ihc  last  forty-five  years,  and  Asun- 
cion was  like  a  tomb.  Now  since  everything  was  trancjuil 
I  would  enjoy  myself  more. 

It  is  now  possible  to  travel  from  Buenos  Aires  to 
Asuncion  without  changing  cars  on  a  through  vestibuled 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   i57 

train  with  sleeping  cars  and  a  dining  car.  The  time  en 
route  is  but  fifty-three  hours,  for  the  train  leaves  Buenos 
Aires  thrice  weekly  at  3  p.m.,  and  arrives  at  Asuncion  two 
days  afterwards  at  8  p.m.  Formerly  Posadas  was  the 
terminus  of  the  trains  from  Buenos  Aires,  and  the  travel- 
ers were  obliged  to  wait  in  that  stamping  ground  of  Hei- 
decker,  Rohrsetzer,  and  Barthe  anywhere  from  two  to 
five  days  in  order  to  make  connection  with  the  Paraguay 
Central  Railroad,  which  ran  at  irregular  intervals  of  time 
to  Asuncion  from  Villa  Encarnacion,  the  Paraguayan 
river  port  about  two  miles  across  the  Alto  Parana  River 
from  Posadas.  The  through  train  is  now  taken  on  a  ferry- 
boat a  short  distance  above  Posadas  and  is  steamed 
across  to  the  Paraguayan  railway  terminus  at  Pacu  Cua. 
Three  hours  after  leaving  the  Chacarita  Station  at 
Buenos  Aires,  the  lonesome  town  of  Zarate  is  reached, 
where  the  train  is  transferred  onto  a  car  ferry  that  plies  to 
Ibicui,  a  trip  of  nearly  five  hours  through  the  estuaries 
that  form  the  delta  of  the  Parana  River,  past  marshes 
abounding  in  wild  fowl  who  have  their  nests  on  the 
swampy  islands.  Although  this  delta  is  but  three  hours 
from  Buenos  Aires,  it  might  as  well  be  in  the  center  of  the 
continent  as  far  as  civilization  is  concerned.  The  crossing 
of  this  delta  is  always  made  obnoxious  on  account  of  the 
mosquitoes  which  abound  here.  In  making  this  crossing 
most  of  the  passengers  were  in  the  dining  car.  Here 
one  could  observe  types.  Most  were  Paraguayans  of  the 
upper  classes  returning  home  after  a  week's  visit  in  the 
Argentine  metropolis.  Although  all  had  just  left  Buenos 
Aires  that  name  was  but  infrequently  mentioned.  In 
every  sentence  of  their  conversation  was  heard  the  word 
"Asuncion,  "  a  name  which  to  the  true  Paraguayan  means 
much  more  to  them  than  does  New  York  to  us,  or  Paris 
to  the  Frenchman.     It  is  the  focus  of  all  Paraguayan  life, 


15^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  although  it  would  be  but  a  mediocre  city  in  this 
country,  it  is  the  only  one  of  size  in  Paraguay. 

There  are  two  distinct  types  of  Paraguayans.  The  first 
tyi)e  of  men  are  good  sized,  fairly  stout,  w4th  round  faces. 
Their  eyel:»rows  and  moustaches  are  straight  and  have  the 
ap])carancc  of  being  ])cnciled.  The  noses  of  these  people 
are  Roman  and  their  facial  characteristics  are  strong  and 
sensual.  This  type  is  only  met  with  among  the  very 
highest  social  classes  such  as  were  the  occupants  of  the 
dining  car  the  night  we  crossed  the  delta.  One  of  these 
men  has  one  of  the  largest  importing  and  general  merchan- 
dise stores  in  Asuncion.  His  surname  is  Angulo.  The 
other  type  of  Paraguayan,  which  comprises  the  masses, 
and  with  whom  one  does  not  come  into  contact  in  a  casual 
way,  are  swarthy,  fiat-chested,  and  narrow-shouldered. 
They  have  large  ears  and  low  foreheads,  bushy  eyebrows 
and  thin  noses.  The  middle  class  is  not  native.  It  is 
composed  of  Spanish,  German,  Italian,  and  French  mer- 
chants. Mr.  James  Bryce  in  his  book,  South  America: 
Observations  and  Impressions,  said  in  speaking  of  La  Paz 
Bolivia:  "It  has  probably  a  larger  aboriginal  population 
than  any  other  city  in  the  New  World,  although  the 
percentage  of  Indians  may  be  somewhat  greater  in  Asun- 
cion, the  capital  of  Paraguay.  "  There  are  no  Indians, 
and  there  is  but  little  mixed  blood  in  Asuncion.  The 
early  settlers  originally  married  with  the  natives  but  the 
taint  of  miscegenation  has  long  run  out.  The  Asuncenos 
are  a  white  folk  in  every  respect.  Indians  predominate  in 
the  Bolivian  capital  and  Bryce  has  never  been  in  Asuncion. 

During  our  evening  meal  on  the  dining  car,  a  large 
beetle  or  bug,  in  circumference  the  size  of  a  tea  cu]),  flew 
in  through  the  open  window  and  made  a  terrific  buzzing, 
the  noise  being  equal  to  that  of  those  toys  for  children 
which  one  winds  ujj  and  then  lets  go.     It  flew  all  over  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  i59 

room  and  as  its  bite  would  undoubtedly  be  poisonous,  it 
put  all  the  occupants  of  the  car  in  a  pandemonium  as  each 
one  was  trying  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  it.  It  seemed  to  be 
in  several  different  places  at  the  same  time. 

It  was  near  midnight  when  we  reached  the  Entre  Rios 
shore.  The  Entrerrieno  landscape  as  far  as  Concordia  is 
gently  undulating,  and  the  soil  which  is  sandy  is  given 
over  to  the  pasturing  of  herds  of  horses.  There  is  not 
much  grain  grown  and  it  is  just  as  well,  for  occasionally 
a  dark  cloud  was  seen  approaching  on  the  horizon,  which, 
when  it  broke,  it  was  seen  to  be  billions  on  billions  of 
locusts  on  their  w^ay  to  Uruguay.  They  flew  into  the  train 
windows,  into  the  food,  into  the  dining  car,  up  one's 
trouser  legs  and  coat  sleeves.  The  noise  of  their  crunch- 
ing was  most  disgusting  as  one  trod  upon  them  while  they 
littered  the  aisles  of  the  cars.  When  seized,  they  expecto- 
rate a  dark  brown  fluid  of  a  most  nauseating  odor.  They 
fly  into  the  streams  and  wells,  poisoning  the  water. 
Before  arriving  at  Concordia,  we  crossed  a  palmetto 
wilderness  called,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  a  palmar. 
Concordia,  although  not  the  capital,  is  the  largest  city  of 
Entre  Rios.  It  has  passed  in  population  Parana  and  now 
has  48,500  inhabitants  according  to  the  latest  estimate. 
It  is  the  largest  and  liveliest  town  in  Argentina  east  of  the 
Parana  River  and  is  connected  by  a  bridge  over  the  Uru- 
guay River  to  Salto  in  Uruguay,  which  was  only  contem- 
plated at  the  time  of  my  visit  to  these  cities  three  years 
before.  A  street-car  line  has  been  recently  built  and  with 
its  beef-canning  establishments  and  as  the  center  of  a  wine 
producing  region,  Concordia  has  some  future,  although 
the  soil  is  sandy.  This  soil  is  much  better  adapted  for  fruit 
than  for  grain.     Oranges,  apples,  and  olives  are  grown. 

From  Concordia  the  train  ceases  to  run  over  the  rails 
of  the  Entre  Rios  Railroad  but  runs  on  the  track  of  the 


i6o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Northeastern  Argentine  Railroad  as  far  as  Posadas. 
After  leaving  Chajari,  the  Province  of  Corricntes  is 
entered  and  the  landscape  immediately  changes.  The 
country  is  still  undulating,  but  the  soil  is  rich  and  even 
soggy  in  places  from  frequent  rains  which  arc  prevalent 
here.  Everything  is  green  and  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see, 
horses  and  cattle  graze  on  the  short  grass.  Water  is 
ever^^where.  There  are  puddles  in  the  fields;  there  are 
small  lakes:  numerous  streams  are  crossed.  The  blue 
water  of  the  Uruguay  River  is  at  one's  right  beyond 
which,  so  near  that  you  feel  as  if  you  could  reach  out  your 
hand  and  grab  them,  are  the  rolling  green  hills  of  Brazil. 
Monte  Caseros  is  reached  at  4:20  p.m.,  a  town  of  about 
eight  thousand  inhabitants  which  contains  the  head  offices 
of  the  Northeastern  Argentine  Railroad.  Paso  de  los 
Libres  is  reached  at  7: 18  p.m.,  whence  one  can  cross  by 
ferry  to  Uruguayana,  a  Brazilian  city  in  the  State  of  Rio 
Grande  do  Sul  on  which  Francisco  Solano  Lopez,  Para- 
guayan dictator,  tried  to  march  his  army  in  1866.  This 
town  has  its  name  handed  down  to  posterity  by  the  cepo 
uruguayana,  a  barbaric  method  of  torture  which  originated 
there  and  which  was  frequently  employed  by  Artigas, 
Rosas,  Lopez,  and  by  other  tyrants  of  a  similar  caliber. 
At  bedtime  the  train  stops  at  Alvear,  an  important  live- 
stock town. 

The  peasants  are  now  Indians.  They  live  in  adobe  and 
cane  huts  in  the  fields  and  are  a  peaceable,  pastoral  people. 
The  men,  both  whites  and  Indians,  wear  great  baggy 
trousers,  not  unlike  a  couple  of  potato  sacks ;  these  are  tied 
to  the  leg  above  the  shoe  by  a  leather  strap  or  cord.  From 
the  discoloration  of  some  of  these  trousers,  I  would  not  be 
surprised  to  hear  that  they  came  over  with  the  Spanish 
Conquistadores. 

At  daybreak  of  the  second  day,   a  train  was  ferried 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  i6i 

across  the  Alto  Parana  River  to  Pacu  Cua.  The  only 
change  that  I  noticed  relative  to  the  train,  and  this  was 
only  a  detail,  was  that  the  beer  now  served  was  not  the  vile 
concoction  brewed  in  Buenos  Aires  but  a  clear  amber 
liquid,  purer  in  substance  and  fresh  from  the  brewery  of 
Villa  Encarnacion. 

The  Paraguayan  landscape,  until  the  half-way  station 
of  Borja  is  reached,  is  a  great  semi-swampy  plain  with  low 
hills  and  ridges  covered  with  tropical  undergrowth,  here 
known  as  ' '  islands. ' '  By  speaking  of  this  plain  as  swampy, 
I  do  not  mean  that  it  is  under  water,  for  such  is  not  the 
case;  some  seasons  of  the  year  it  is  quite  dry  and  after 
heav}'  rains  only  it  is  soggy.  It  is  always  passable,  but  is 
overgrown  with  swamp  grass.  Countless  herds  of  cattle 
pasture  here;  otherwise  it  is  uninhabitable.  It  contains 
many  lakes  and  lagoons  alive  with  wild  ducks,  plover,  cur- 
lew, herons,  and  other  water  fowl;  wild  geese  fly  overhead, 
and  when  a  clump  of  bushes  is  passed  it  is  a  common 
sight  to  see  the  dark  plumed,  heavy  limbed  fiandii,  the 
native  ostrich,  shading  itself  under  a  bough  on  these 
wooded  islets.  Rising  from  the  plain  are  many  huts, 
the  estancias  of  the  natives,  half  hidden  by  the  foliage. 
They  are  built  of  cane,  plastered  over,  and  with  thatched 
roofs. 

At  Borja  the  junction  for  the  village  of  Charara, 
the  scenery  changes.  The  land  now  high  and  dry  is 
intersected  by  numerous  rivers.  Mountains  appear  to 
the  north,  and  from  here  to  Asuncion  the  country  has  a 
well-settled  character  with  numerous  well-built  villages. 
Civilization  in  Paraguay  started  from  Asuncion  and 
followed  the  high  ridge  of  land  eastward.  The  railroad 
built  from  Asuncion  to  Paraguari  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
South  America.  From  Paraguari  onward  to  Borja, 
civilization  preceded  the  railroad. 


1 62  Journeys  and  Experiences 

\'illa  Rica  has  34,297  inhabitants  according  to  a  Para- 
guayan estimate.  Personally  I  think  that  this  should 
be  cut  in  two.  It  is  a  mile  northeast  of  the  depot.  At  a 
station  named  Tebicuary  is  a  sugar  mill ;  at  Caballero  are 
the  railroad  shops. 

Paraguari,  the  anti-l)cllum  terminus  of  the  Central 
Paragua}-  Railroad,  has,  according  to  the  census  1 1 ,328 


Scene  from  Railroad  Station  at  Villa  Rica 


inhabitants,  although  I  am  doubtful  if  its  population 
exceeds  five  thousand.  It  is  situated  in  the  extreme 
eastern  end  of  the  Pirayu  valley.  This  valley  is  bound 
by  great  basaltic  hills,  some  of  which  are  mountains. 
Some  are  conical  in  shape,  but  the  majority  are  huge 
hills,  whose  tops  are  great  stone  outcrops.  The  floor  of 
the  valley  is  high  and  a  cool  breeze  is  generally  blowing. 
The  clover  and  grain,  together  with  the  mountains  and  the 
church  steeples,  remind  one  of  the  scenery  in  Central 
Europe.  Paraguari  would  be  the  best  situated  city  in 
Paraguay  for  its  capital,  both  from  a  natural  location  and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  163 

from  a  miUtary  point  of  view.  It  was  the  camping  ground 
of  the  Argentine  army  under  General  Belgrano  in  1811. 
Formerly  the  Jesuits  had  a  large  stock  ranch  here. 

The  railroad,  formerly  owned  by  the  government,  but 
now  controlled  by  a  Portuguese,  had  originally  a  six-foot 
gauge.  The  depots  in  the  villages  from  Paraguari  to 
Asuncion  are  large  and  old-fashioned  like  the  pictures  of 
those  stations  depicted  in  Harper's  Weekly  Civil  War  Scenes. 
Their  mere  duplicates  to-day  are  to  be  seen  in  some  Euro- 
pean cities  such  as  those  at  Caen,  Bar-le-Duc,  Vicenza, 
the  old  station  at  Strassburg,  and  in  the  American  cities 
of  Savannah  and  Macon.  The  English  company  which 
had  control  of  the  railroad  before  this  Portuguese  got  it 
narrowed  the  gauge  down  to  the  regulation  broad  gauge 
standard  which  is  narrower  than  that  of  the  Central 
Argentina  and  several  other  lines  in  that  republic. 

The  Republic  of  Paraguay  is  divided  into  twenty  dis- 
tricts exclusive  of  Asuncion.  I  am  giving  their  names  and 
population  together  with  those  of  their  capitals  and  their 
population  according  to  the  estimate  of  19 17  in  Hector  F. 
Decoud's  Geografia  de  la  Repiiblica  del  Paraguay,  Asun- 
cion, 1 91 7.  The  population  of  these  district  capitals 
includes  the  commune  as  well  as  the  town,  for  with  the 
exception  of  six  cities,  Asuncion,  Villa  Rica,  Caazapa, 
Villa  Encarnacion,  Villa  Concepcion,  and  Villa  del  Pilar 
there  are  no  incorporated  places  in  the  republic: — ■ 


Population 

Capital           Popidation 

1st  District 

38,580 

Villa  Concepcion         15,600 

2d 

46425 

Villa  de  San  Pedro       9,926 

3d         " 

43.195 

Altos                               9,715 

4th 

34,764 

Barrero  Grande           10,643 

5th       " 

35,182 

San  Jose                         9,120 

6th       " 

22,274 

Ajos                               7,283 

i6_i.  Journeys  and  Experiences 


Population 

Capital 

Population 

7th  Di 

strict       34,297 

Villa  Rica 

34,297 

8th       ' 

29,886 

Hiaty 

8,096 

9th 

31.531 

Caazapa 

17.531 

loth 

32418 

Yuti 

11.953 

nth 

26,978 

Villa  Encarnacion       13.496 

1 2th 

37.965 

San  Ignacio 

6,621 

13th       ' 

24,535 

Ibicui 

11,203 

14th 

33,454 

Quiindy 

12,943 

15th       ' 

46,822 

Paraguari 

11,328 

1 6th 

32,720 

Itagoa 

9,932 

17th 

41.435 

Luque 

17,996 

1 8th 

43,633 

Ita 

13,429 

19th 

20,843 

Villa  Oliva 

4,504 

20th 

48,193 

Villa  del  Pilar 

7,229 

Asuncior 

1  (est)  125,000 

Total  population,  828,130  inhabitants  exclusive  of  about 
50,000  wild  Indians  living  in  the  Gran  Chaco. 

The  population  of  Asuncion  has  been  estimated  from 
80,000  to  125,000  inhabitants.  Personally  I  think  that 
100,000  would  be  more  nearly  correct.  Asuncion  of  1918 
is  an  entirely  different  city  from  Asuncion  in  1913,  so  great 
has  been  the  visible  improvement.  This  is  largely  due  to 
the  enlightened  ideas  of  the  ex-dictator,  Don  Eduardo 
Schaerer,  a  Swiss  by  birth,  and  who  has  infused  European 
progressiveness  into  the  Paraguayan  nation,  w^hose  popu- 
lation was  rapidly  being  exterminated  by  forty-five  years 
of  incessant  revolutions  on  top  of  a  five  years'  war  which 
cost  Paraguay  five  hundred  thousand  lives.  Schaerer 
has  showed  that  he  is  the  man  for  the  job.  His  rule  has 
been  benign  but  firm.  No  sooner  had  he  assumed  the 
executive  power  than  some  of  his  dissatisfied  opponents 
tried  the  tricks  on  him  that  have  been  tried  on  other 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  165 

dictators.  This  time  they  failed.  The  bomb  that  they 
touched  off  underneath  his  residence  failed  to  explode. 
The  conspirators  and  other  suspects  were  immediately 
clapped  into  jail.  January  i,  19 15,  witnessed  the  close  of 
two  years'  peace;  it  was  too  much  of  a  good  thing  for  the 
fire-eating  populace  so  they  started  another  revolution. 
This  lasted  but  one  day,  the  revolutionists  losing  over 
three  hundred  men  in  a  street  fight  in  Asuncion.  No  more 
tricks  have  been  tried  on  Sehor  Schaerer. 

In  Asuncion  there  live  numerous  ex-presidents,  ex- 
dictators,  and  their  political  henchmen.  No  matter  who 
is  president  of  any  country,  there  are  always  a  number  of 
people  who  have  grievances  against  the  administration, 
but  I  have  only  heard  one  person  express  anything  deroga- 
tory against  Schaerer.  This  man,  very  prominent  in 
Asuncion,  and  the  son  of  an  ex-president,  said  that  Schaerer 
owed  his  power  as  Chief  Executive  to  the  Farquhar 
Syndicate  whose  money  placed  him  there  in  order  for  them 
to  obtain  in  return  valuable  concessions.  He  said  that 
Schaerer  was  not  president  for  his  health,  but  was  amass- 
ing a  fortune  on  the  side.  If  this  is  true,  it  is  nothing 
extraordinary,  but  as  far  as  I  can  glean,  he  is  one  of  the 
most  able  presidents  the  country  has  ever  had.  Results 
show  it.  Paraguay  has  a  good  constitution,  but  it  is 
never  used.  Changes  have  been  constantly  made  to  suit 
the  whims  of  each  dictator.  The  presidential  term  is 
for  three  years.  Schaerer's  term  should  have  expired 
November  25,  191 5,  but  he  saw  to  it  that  there  would  be 
no  elections  and  two  years  after  that  date  he  retained  his 
office. 

Since  Seiior  Schaerer  became  president,  there  have  been 
many  changes  for  the  better  in  Asuncion.  Formerly  one 
had  to  go  to  the  post  office  to  mail  a  letter :  now  letter-boxes 
are  on  nearly  every  corner.     The  stranger  is  no  longer 


i66  Journeys  and  Experiences 

subjected  to  surveillance,  neither  are  his  valises  searched 
in  the  hotels,  nor  are  his  letters  opened  and  read  in  the 
post  office  before  transmission.  The  police  have  new 
crash  uniforms  as  well  as  many  of  the  soldiers;  previously 
their  garments  were  nondescript.  It  is  necessary  in  Para- 
guay to  maintain  a  semblance  of  an  army,  for  otherwise 
a  dictator's  life  would  hang  on  the  thread  of  Damocles. 
In  order  to  pay  this  army,  the  present  government  was 
obliged  to  sell  their  two  gunboats,  as  the  country  is  in  a 
bad  financial  condition.  Its  unit,  the  peso  Juerte  is  worth 
only  2^2  cents  American  currenc3^  Five  years  ago  it  was 
worth  7  cents.  This  depreciation  of  money  is  current  all 
over  the  southern  republics  of  South  America  with  the 
exception  of  Uruguay  and  Argentina.  The  Chilean  peso 
was  worth  23  cents  in  1913;  now  it  is  worth  17  cents;  the 
Brazilian  1  ilreis  which  was  then  worth  333^  cents  is  worth 
now  on  y  25  cents.  In  Brazil,  and  in  Chile  although  the 
currency  depreciated,  the  price  of  articles  dropped  in 
ratio,  so  that  now  in  those  countries  the  articles  for  sale 
can  be  bought  cheaper  than  formerly.  Not  so  in  Para- 
guay. When  the  peso  fuerte  took  a  drop,  the  staple  goods 
remained  the  same  in  price,  so  now  a  person  has  to  pay 
three  pesos  for  what  formerly  cost  him  but  one. 

The  electric  lighting  system  of  Asuncion  is  excellent, 
and  it  now  has  the  best  trolley  car  service  of  any  South 
American  city.  Every  principal  street  has  car  tracks  and 
the  tramcars  run  in  the  daytime  every  five  minutes. 
There  is  also  a  suburban  system.  Before  Schaerer's 
ascendancy,  the  city  had  mule  cars,  and  a  suburban  steam 
road  that  ran  through  the  streets  of  the  city,  as  in  Debrec- 
zen,  Hungary,  the  engine  of  which  puffed  and  emitted 
much  smoke  to  the  tune  of  squeaks  and  much  whistling. 
The  lawn  is  kejjt  u])  in  front  of  the  Capitol;  new  streets 
have  been  opened  and  ])aved;  statues  have  been  unveiled 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    167 

in  public  places,  and  there  has  been  considerable  building 
done. 

At  first  sight,  Asuncion  seems  small.  This  is  due  to 
the  grass  that  grows  between  the  stones  of  the  street 
pavement,  and  to  the  fact  that  cows  graze  in  the  plazas. 
On  account  of  the  richness  of  the  soil  and  the  frequent 
rains  it  is  impossible  to  keep  vegetation  down.     Unfortu- 


Casa  de  Gobiemo,  or  Capitol,  Asuncion 


nately  the  plazas  are  not  well  kept  up,  and  have  gone  to 
waste  and  ruin.  The  city  is  compactly  built,  and  covers 
considerable  ground.  Like  Belgrade,  Servia,  it  is  built  on 
the  side  of  a  hill;  like  Belgrade  the  stores  are  similar  in 
window  decorations,  for  their  proprietors  specialize  in 
displaying  there  articles  that  are  favorite  to  the  Para- 
guayan mind  as  well  as  to  the  Servian :  firearms  and 
knives.  There  are  a  few  large  buildings  of  modern  con- 
struction, but  what  is  most  observant  are  the  colonnades 
of  pillars  and  piers  which  support  the  roofs.     If  a  building 


i68  Journeys  and  Experiences 

has  no  colonnade  along  the  street,  it  is  sure  to  have  one 
around  the  patio.  These  colonnades  are  built  thus  (see 
drawing) . 

Pillars  (fig.  b)  lower  than  the  main  wall  (fig.  a)  are 
erected  about  twelve  feet  or  less  in  front  of  it.  Across 
the  tops  of  these  pillars  and  connecting  them  lies  a  beam 
(fig.  c)  from  which  rafters  (fig.  d)  at  regular  intervals  slant 
up  to  the  top  of  the  wall  of  the  building.  Horizontally 
across  these  rafters  are  laid  stringers  (fig.  e)  about  a  foot 
apart.  On  top  of  these  stringers  are  laid  tiles  (fig.  f). 
In  many  cases  a  thin  layer  of  bricks  is  laid  across  the 
stringers,  above  which  are  laid  the  tiles. 

The  worst  feature  of  Asuncion  is  the  paving  of  the  streets. 
Black  flint  stones  of  all  sizes  and  shape  are  i^ounded  tightly 
into  the  ground,  and  their  crevices  are  filled  with  the  red 
earth  of  the  country ;  they  are  then  treated  with  a  coating 
of  dirt.  For  the  first  three  months  this  pavement  makes 
excellent  driving.  Then  when  the  copious  rains  have 
washed  the  dirt  out,  the  stones  settle  or  are  loosened.  An 
occasional  wagon-wheel  knocks  one  out  of  place,  and  it  is 
seldom  replaced.  Incessant  wear  now  makes  ruts  among 
the  loosened  stones,  and  in  the  part  of  the  road  where 
there  is  not  much  traffic,  vegetation  grows  up,  likewise 
forcing  the  stones  up.  The  city  is  built  on  the  side  of  a 
hill  sloping  down  to  a  lagoon  which  is  separated  from  the 
Paraguay  River  by  a  swamp.  There  are  no  conduits  to 
carry  away  the  rain  water,  nor  any  ditches  at  the  sides  of  the 
streets.  Accordingly  when  it  rains,  the  water  runs  down 
the  hill  through  the  crevices  between  the  paving  stones,  and 
by  the  time  it  reaches  the  main  street,  Calle  Palmas,  the 
side  streets  are  turned  into  rivers.  Eave  troughs  project 
horizontally  from  the  roofs  over  the  streets,  and  the  pedes- 
trians have  a  choice  between  two  evils,  walking  in  the 
flowing  road  or  getting  a  dousing  from  many  hydrants. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  169 

With  the  exception  of  an  EngHsh  church  in  the  suburbs 
and  a  German  Lutheran  one  in  the  city,  both  of  which  are 
so  small  that  it  seems  a  shame  to  rank  them  under  the  title 
of  church,  there  are  only  three  Houses  of  God  in  Asuncion, 
the  cathedral,  San  Roque,  and  that  of  the  Church  of  the 
Encarnacion.  The  cathedral  is  an  old,  weather-beaten 
affair  facing  the  lagoon.  San  Roque  is  very  old  and  faces 
a  small  plaza  of  the  same  name  behind  the  railway  station. 
The  most  imposing  building  in  the  city  is  the  mammoth 
unfinished  red  brick  pile  which  goes  by  the  name  of  the 
Church  of  the  Encarnacion.  If  ever  completed  it  will 
hold  a  place  among  the  world's  great  religious  edifices. 
It  is  built  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  above  the  business 
section  of  the  city  and  is  a  landmark  for  many  miles.  It 
is  reached  by  a  double  flight  of  steps  from  the  street. 
It  was  started  during  the  reign  of  Francia,  and  the  money 
having  long  since  given  out,  it  is  left  but  half  completed. 
It  is  built  very  solidly  of  tightly  fitting  red  brick,  and  was 
intended  to  be  stuccoed  over.  A  place  is  left  for  a  tower 
each  side  of  the  main  door  but  they  have  never  been  com- 
menced. The  interior  is  plain,  has  been  given  a  fresh  coat 
of  plaster,  and  exudes  the  funereal  tuberose  smell  which  is 
present  in  the  casino  at  Monte  Carlo  to  counteract  the 
aroma  of  corpses  in  the  private  morgue  beneath  the 
roulette  room  of  that  establishment.  As  matters  now 
stand  the  Church  of  the  Encarnacion  is  a  hideous  pile. 
The  earthly  remains  of  Dr.  Caspar  Rodrigues  de  Francia, 
Paraguay's  most  famous  dictator,  1 816-1840,  were  buried 
beneath  the  vestibule  of  this  church.  The  relatives  of 
a  person  whom  he  had  executed  had  his  bones  dug  up  and 
desecrated  them  by  flinging  them  into  the  lagoon. 

The  plazas  of  Asuncion  are  a  disgrace  to  the  city.  The 
Plaza  Uruguaya  is  the  largest.  It  is  planted  with  trees 
which  are  scattered  at  random.     A  brick  wall  separates 


170  Journeys  and  Experiences 

one  side  of  it  from  the  street.  At  the  opposite  side  is  the 
large,  graceful,  colonnaded,  battle-scarred  railway  station 
with    its    illuminated    clock    tower.     Pedestrians    avoid 


Drawing  Showing  Construction  of  Colonnades  on  a  Paraguayan  Building 

a.   Side  wall;  b.    Pillar;  c.    Beam;  d.    Rafter;  e.   Stringer;  f.    Tile 


traversing  this  plaza  after  nightfall  on  account  of  footpads, 
many  of  whom  would  commit  murder  for  a  paper  peso. 
In  the  center  of  the  plaza  stand  the  fragments  of  a  marble 
statue  shot  to  pieces  in  the  revolution  of  1904.  The 
Plaza  de  la  Republica  is  on  top  of  the  high  banks  that 
skirt  the  swampy  ground   that  forms  the  shores  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   171 

lagoon.  In  some  places  it  is  like  a  big  field,  especially 
that  part  of  it  in  front  of  the  artillery  barracks  where  it 
is  the  dumping  ground  of  tin  cans  and  refuse,  and  is  trav- 
ersed by  cattle  paths.  Near  the  House  of  Congress,  a 
morbid  appearing  porticoed  edifice,  it  assumes  the  nature 
of  a  lawn  which  in  turn  becomes  a  park  in  front  of  the 
ancient  cathedral.  In  this  plaza  is  a  cheap  looking  brick 
column  named  the  Statue  of  Liberty.     This  monument  is 


Cabildo,  or  City  Hall,  Asuncion 

This  building  was  formerly  the  capitol 


surmounted  by  the  image  of  San  Bias,  the  patron  saint  of 
Paraguay,  in  whose  honor  is  celebrated  on  February  3d 
of  each  year  an  orgy  that  beggars  description.  The  base 
of  the  statue  has  the  dates  of  different  events  and  revolu- 
tions painted  in  black  letters  on  each  of  its  four  faces. 
One  of  these  dates  tells  the  reader  that  Asuncion  was 
founded  August  15,  1536.  Another  date  tells  of  the 
ousting  of  the  Spanish  domination.  A  third  one  informs 
us  of  the  end  ot  Francia's  rule,  while  the  fourth  bears 
testimony  oi  the  end  of  the  reign  ot  Lopez  II. 

One  of  the  features  that  attracts  the  eyes  of  strangers 


172 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


is  that  there  is  scarcely  a  building  in  the  downtown  district 
that  is  not  pitted  with  holes  from  a  Gatling  gun.  In  some 
sections  whole  walls  have  been  shot  away  by  cannon  balls. 
One  of  the  beautiful  trees  common  to  Paraguay  is  the 
dark  fern -leaved  paraiso  tree.  There  are  a  great  many  of 
these  in  Asuncion,  especially  in  the  Plaza  San  Roque. 
Their  foliage  is  thick  and  gives  delightful  shade. 

One  of  the  landmarks  is  the  brick  domed  basilica  on  the 


Plazoleta  del  Puerto,  Asuncion 


Calle  Palmas  called  the  Oratory  of  Lopez.  The  tyrant 
had  it  built  for  the  receptacle  of  the  image  of  the  Virgin 
of  the  Assumption  (Asuncion).  The  Five  Years'  War 
came  on,  and  the  oratory  was  never  completed.  It  stands 
to-day  without  a  coat  of  stucco,  w^th  the  carpenters'  scant- 
ling around  its  dome  in  the  same  condition  now  as  when 
work  suddenly  ceased  in  1865.  It  is  owned  by  the  govern- 
ment which  is  too  poor  to  complete  it;  its  floor  is  used 
for  the  storage  of  municipal  timber,  brick,  plaster,  and 
so  forth,  in  charge  of  an  ancient  pensioner.  Bats  roost 
beneath  its  dome,  and  the  ambere  lizards  crawl  between 
the  cracks  of  the  bricks.     The  oratory  is  surrounded  by  a 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   173 

wall  over  which  projects  a  papaya  tree  whose  luscious 
golden  fruit,  shaped  like  a  woman's  teat,  hangs  in  pendulent 
clusters  from  its  crown.  This  fruit  is  known  in  Paraguay 
as  mamo7i  which  in  the  Guarani  language  means  tit. 

The  Asuncenos  are  early  risers.  The  stores  open  at 
6  A.M.,  and  an  hour  later  is  when  the  greatest  crowds  are 
to  be  found  on  the  streets.  The  stores  close  again  at  ii 
A.M.,  and  remain  so  till  2  p.m.     They  close  for  the  day  at 


Calle  Palmas,  Asuncion 

The  dome  in  the  background  is  that  of  the  Oratory  of  Lopez 


7  P.M.,  and  remain  shut  all  day  Sunday  as  well  as  on  the 
numerous  holidays.  During  the  three  midday  hours 
there  is  hardly  a  person  to  be  seen  on  the  streets.  Asun- 
cion is  never  activity,  excepting  during  periods  of  revolu- 
tion and  at  the  annual  yearly  carnival;  on  Sundays  the 
liveliness  of  the  streets  can  be  compared  with  that  of 
the  interior  of  a  cemetery  receiving  vault.  It  is  a  trifle 
better  than  Valparaiso,  Chile,  or  Detroit,  Michigan,  on 
those  days  because  at  least  the  cafes  are  open.  The 
amusements  of  the  city  are  paltry,  the  main  one  being  to 
sit  evenings  in  one's  shirt-sleeves  on  a  chair  placed  on  the 
sidewalk  in  front  of  one's  residence  and  by  the  illumination 


1 74  Journeys  and  Experiences 

of  the  electric  lights  watch  the  great  ciicurus  (large,  dis- 
gusting looking  native  toads)  hop  along  the  sidewalk  in 
search  of  bugs.  The  other  amusements  are  two  moving 
picture  shows,  one  at  Belvedere  and  the  other  at  the 
Cafe  Bolsa. 

The  climate  of  Asuncion  is  hot,  terribly  so.  and  damp. 


Calle  15  de  Agosto,  Asuncion 

This  is  a  typical  side  street.      The  pholograph  was  taken  from  the  balcony  of  the 
second  story  of  the  Hotel  Hispano- Americano 


In  heat  it  compares  very  favorably  with  Panama.  It  is 
enervating  and  gives  the  people  amorous  inclinations, 
especially  when  it  blows  from  the  north  and  east.  Many 
foreigners  cannot  become  acclimated  on  account  of  their 
inability  in  adapting  themselves  to  a  change  in  their  mode 
of  life,  and  many  of  the  wives  of  foreign  diplomats  have  to 
return  home  on  account  of  the  heat.  Many  people  have 
red  spots  on  their  faces  and  bodies  caused  by  the  heat. 
The  hottest  month  is  December.  The  rainfall  is  heavy, 
and  in  Asuncion  it  is  regular.  March  is  the  wettest 
month,  with  April  and  October  following  in  order.     July 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    175 

is  the  driest  month.  The  average  annual  rainfall  is  60.2 
inches.  (The  average  for  Detroit  is  37  inches.)  The 
driest  year  recorded  in  Asuncion  was  1883  when  44.7 
inches  fell  and  the  wettest  year  was  1878  with  a  precipi- 
tation of  101.9  inches.  The  rains  are  of  short  duration, 
but  several  are  apt  to  occur  in  one  day.  They  are  tropical 
and  come  straight  down  in  sheets  as  if  a  bucket  of  water 
had  been  turned  upside  down  in  the  sky.     These  rains, 


Street  Scene,  outskirts  of  Asuncion 


which  are  heaviest  in  summer,  come  up  suddenly,  and  if 
there  are  any  clouds  to  be  seen,  it  is  advisable  to  carry  an 
umbrella  for  it  often  happens  that  these  showers  are  local, 
there  being  a  great  downpour  in  one  part  of  the  town  and 
no  rainfall  at  all  in  the  other.  After  and  between  rains, 
the  sun  comes  out  and  steam  arises  from  the  earth. 
Many  a  hacking  cough  heard  from  behind  the  shutters  of  a 
window  and  many  a  gob  of  phlegm  se.en  on  the  street 
sidewalk  has  its  origin  from  this  climatic  change.  Hurri- 
canes are  unknown  although  water  spouts  are  an  occa- 
sional phenomenon.  The  thunder  makes  terrific  crashings, 
and  at  each  loud  blast,  the  inhabitants  make  the  sign  of  the 


176  Journeys  and  Experiences 

cross.  Even  on  days  when  it  does  not  rain,  the  sky  is 
frequently  overcast  and  the  atmosphere  has  the  muggy 
feeling  that  is  always  present  before  a  storm. 

Perspiration  runs  from  one  in  streams,  not  like  the 
heavy  sweat  of  the  hard-working  laborer  but  a  malodor- 
ous vitality  sapping  sweat  which  takes  the  place  of  urine, 
making  it  necessary  to  change  one's  under-clothing  several 
times  dail}^  and  to  indulge  in  frequent  shower  or  sponge 
baths.  For  the  omnipresent  prickly  heat,  one  should 
never  besmear  himself  w^ith  ointment  nor  take  cold  baths; 
these  have  the  tendency  to  augment  it.  One  should 
bathe  in  warm  or  lukewarm  water.  Clothes  sent  to  the 
laundry  come  back  damp  and  the  bed  linen  seldom  dries. 
The  houses  are  covered  with  a  black  mold  which  no 
amount  of  frequent  painting  can  stop  coming  back.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  if  you  draw  your  finger  across  the  wall  of  a 
church  interior  it  will  leave  a  streak  on  the  dampness. 
Regardless  of  the  heat,  for  sanitation's  sake,  hot  air  fur- 
naces should  be  installed  in  the  hotels  and  residences  and 
a  drying  out  should  be  given  them  once  a  week. 

With  the  rains  come  myriads  of  bugs  and  beetles.  A 
black-winged  one,  half  as  big  as  a  saucer,  whose  aviation 
produced  a  noise  like  a  rip-saw,  assailed  me  one  night 
while  at  dinner  in  the  Hotel  Hispano- Americano.  It  flew 
on  my  coat,  and  as  I  tried  to  brush  it  away  it  implanted  a 
sting  on  the  back  of  my  hand  that  made  me  wince  in 
agony.  A  lady,  at  a  neighboring  table,  thought  it  was 
funny,  for  she  vSmiled  at  my  discomfiture.  God  punished 
her,  for  presently  a  huge  green  darning-needle  shaped  bug 
lighted  on  her  neck  and  the  sting  it  gave  her  made  her  emit 
squawks  that  rivaled  in  rancorousness  those  of  a  carrion 
crow.  Bugs,  beetles,  reptiles,  etc.,  the  Paraguayans 
and  Correntinos  call  bich  and  the  large  ones  they  call 
gran  bich  without  any  distinction  as  to  their  specie.     A 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    i77 

person  cannot  fondle  with  impunity  the  cucuni  as  one  can 
the  common  American  garden  toad.  The  cucuru  will  bite 
you  and  then  close  its  jaws.  It  has  to  be  killed  to  pry  its 
mouth  apart  and  its  bite  is  said  to  be  poisonous.  The 
suburban  sidewalks  of  Asuncion  teem  with  them  evenings. 
The  village  of  Aregua  near  Asuncion  is  especially  prolific 
in  this  variety  of  amphibian.  It  would  not  take  many  of 
them  to  fill  a  bushel  basket.  I  got  about  a  dozen  of  these 
by  dropping  my  hat  over  them  and  chloroforming  them. 
I  had  them  stuffed  and  brought  them  home  as  mantel- 
piece presents  for  my  friends.  Paraguay  is  also  abundant 
in  ophidians;  the  nasty,  poisonous  mboy-chumbe  or  black, 
white,  and  red-ringed  coral  snakes  being  the  most  common. 
There  is  mboy-jhoby,  a  green  snake;  the  miazo,  sl  dark 
brown  snake;  the  viper;  the  iiandurie,  a  small  stick-like 
snake  and  the  rattlesnake  are  common  venomous  species, 
while  the  huge  boa,  or  curiyu,  and  the  mboy-yagud,  or 
water  snake,  belong  to  the  unpoisonous  kind.  The  great 
viper  called  nacanind  is  semi-poisonous.  Among  the 
quelonians  is  the  canimbe  a  Brobdingnagian  snapping 
turtle  and  in  the  hydrosaurian  class  is  the  crocodile,  cay- 
man alligator,  and  the  iguana  or  teyu,  the  latter  being  es- 
teemed for  its  white  meat  not  unlike  spring  chicken  in  taste. 
There  are  two  species  of  jaguar  called  tiger  by  the 
natives,  the  aguaretc  and  the  yagiiarete-popc.  The  word 
jaguar  is  derived  from  the  Guarani  yaguaretc.  There  are 
several  kinds  of  wild-cat,  misnamed  by  the  natives  ' '  lions, " 
plenty  of  tapirs  or  mborevi,  ant-eaters,  wild  pigs,  armadillos, 
deer,  monkeys,  besides  many  species  of  phlebotomists 
such  as  the  vampire-but  and  the  common  belfry-bat. 
The  trees  are  alive  with  owls,  macaws,  parrots,  toucans, 
zorzals,  and  wild-pigeons,  while  in  the  swamps  and  clear- 
ings are  found  egrets,  martinets,  sarias,  cassowaries, 
flamingoes,  herons,  and  ibises. 


178  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Asuncion  has  several  fair  hotels;  the  best  in  my  esti- 
mation being  the  Hotel  Hispano- Americano,  the  prop- 
erty of  the  firm  of  Rius  &  Jorba  which  is  rented  to  the 
present  proprietors,  the  Grau  Brothers,  two  Spaniards,  to 
the  tune  of  ten  dollars  a  day,  which,  for  Asuncion,  is  an 
exorbitant  sum.  This  hotel  is  not  recommended  to 
strangers  by  the  natives  for  the  innate  jealous}-  that  the 
average  South  American  has  for  the  Spaniard,  who  is  his 
business  superior,  is  not  lacking  in  Paraguay.  The  for- 
eigners recommend  to  the  stranger  the  Hotel  Saint-Pierre, 
a  French  hotel,  or  the  Cancha  (formerly  the  Gran  Hotel 
del  Paraguay),  a  stock  company  hotel  under  German 
management. 

The  Hispano-Americano  was  built  by  the  dictator, 
Francisco  Solano  Lopez  for  his  mistress,  Madame  Elisa 
Lynch,  and  here  he  lived  with  her  and  here  were  his  off- 
springs by  her  brought  up.  As  I  lay  in  my  bed,  or  walked 
the  arched  galleries  of  this  edifice,  I  could  nearly  see  the 
festivities,  banquets,  and  parties  that  took  place  in  the 
great  salon  (now  the  dining  room)  fifty-three  years  ago, 
hear  the  laughter  of  the  beautiful  women  in  hoop  skirts 
and  the  popping  of  corks  of  champagne  bottles,  and  smell 
the  somniferous  perfume  of  the  nandeyara-guaztis  (high 
grade  Paraguayan  cigars)  as  their  aroma  was  wafted 
upwards  with  the  smoke.  Visions  came  to  me  of  officers, 
their  uniforms  resplendent  with  epaulettes  and  gold  braid, 
brave  men  who  met  valiant  deaths  on  the  field  of  battle  or 
through  exposure  in  the  soggy  palmetto  and  mangrove 
swamps  of  the  interior,  of  foreign  diplomats,  of  dark, 
beautiful  women  wearing  delicate,  luxuriant  Tuuiduti  lace 
shawls,  of  the  short  and  corpulent  bearded  dictator  with 
the  perpetual  strong  cigar  between  his  lips,  and  of  the 
Irish  as]:),  his  mistress,  whose  power  and  influence  upon 
her  naturally  ])rogressive  and  ambitious  i)aramour  was 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    179 

greater  than  that  of  Theodora  on  Justinian.  J .  F.  Master- 
man  in  his  Seven  Years'  Adventures  in  Paraguay  states  that 
Madame  Lynch  could  drink  more  champagne  than  any 
person  he  ever  knew  and  not  seem  to  feel  any  effects 
therefrom.  I  would  like  to  have  matched  her  in  a  contest 
with  a  friend  of  mine,  now  dead,  whom  I  saw  drink  six 
quarts  of  champagne  one  after  another  standing  at  a  bar  in 
San  Francisco  one  evening  in  Septem.ber,  1910. 

The  Hispano-Americano  is  a  large  structure  two  stories 
high  of  imposing  appearance  on  a  corner  of  Calle  Palmas, 
the  main  street.  It  is  well  situated  for  it  is  near  all  the 
banks,  business  houses,  and  government  buildings.  It 
has  a  large  patio  paved  with  black  and  white  tiles,  where 
the  dining  tables  are  placed.  Bedrooms  open  off  from 
this  patio.  On  each  side  of  the  entrance  thirty-four 
marble  steps  lead  up  to  the  second  story  which  has  a 
balcony  surrounding  the  patio,  the  arches  of  which  are 
supported  by  stone  Doric  columns.  Onto  this  balcony 
open  tile-floored,  high,  and  cool  bedrooms.  The  balcony 
is  paved  with  brick  and  from  it  rise  more  Doric  colimms 
surmounted  by  arches  which  support  the  roof.  There 
is  a  second  patio,  this  one  open,  which  is  reached  by  a 
short  hall  behind  the  first  patio.  On  this  are  the  cheaper 
rooms.  On  my  former  visit  this  hotel  was  not  well  kept 
up  nor  overclean,  but  now  it  was  all  that  could  be  desired 
and  the  Paraguayan  cooking,  with  its  abundance  of  oil, 
peppers,  tomatoes,  and  hot  sauces,  was  excellent. 

The  proprietors  own  two  Case  automobiles,  and  one 
evening  as  I  sat  in  conversation  with  the  Sehor  Grau,  who 
assumes  the  active  management  of  the  hotel,  he  suggested 
that  I  should  take  a  ride  with  him  for  a  couple  of  hours. 
This  was  fine  and  I  hastened  to  accept.  The  machine  was 
brought  in  front  of  the  door,  Grau  and  myself  had  got  into 
it,  when  the  assistant  manager  came  out  and  said  something 


i8o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

in  an  undertone  to  Gran.  The  latter  replied  in  a  loud 
voice : 

"Give  everybody  a  room  that  asks  for  one  except  the 
Spanish  consul.     Give  him  nothing.  " 

I  thought  this  was  queer  but  said  nothing,  thinking 
that  later  on  Grau  would  explain  what  was  up.  He  did 
not  do  so,  however,  until  we  returned  which  was  about 
ten  o'clock  at  night.  There  were  about  a  dozen  people  in 
front  of  the  hotel;  on  che  threshold  stood  a  tall,  thin, 
good-looking  man  about  thirty-five  years  old,  dressed  in 
black.  When  Grau  got  out  this  man  approached  him  and 
said: 

"What  is  the  matter  with  this  fellow?"  pointing  at 
the  assistant  manager.     "He  refuses  to  give  me  a  room.  " 

"My  instructions!"  bellowed  Grau.  "You  can  get 
nothing  here!" 

A  small  crowd  began  to  collect.  The  Spanish  consul, 
for  he  was  the  tall  man  in  black,  asked  Grau  to  explain. 

"Explain  nothing!"  yelled  Grau.  "You  can  get  no 
more  service  here.  You  have  come  to  this  hotel  three  or 
four  different  times,  each  time  with  a  different  woman, 
and  each  time  you  have  registered  as  man  and  wife.  How 
many  wives  have  you  anyway?  I  am  not  running  a 
house  of  prostitution.  What  do  you  take  me  for?  Get 
out!" 

There  was  a  general  peal  of  laughter  from  the  crowd 
at  this.  The  Spanish  consul,  unabashed,  with  a  smile 
walked  away,  stating  that  there  were  other  hotels  in  the 
town,  where  he  could  take  his  women,  that  were  just  as 
good  as  Grau's  and  that  he  would  do  so  now. 

The  Hotel  vSaint-Pierre  is  near  the  harbor  on  the  Calle 
Colon,  a  cheap  business  street.  Many  people  prefer  it  for 
their  sojourn  in  Asuncion  as  it  has  the  reputation  for 
having  the  best  cooking.     In  lliis  respect  I  found  it  lack- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   i8i 

ing  in  the  abundance  and  in  the  variety  of  that  of  the 
Hispano-Americano.  There  is  no  bar;  the  rooms  are 
small,  and  the  •  proprietor  frequently  tells  the  guests  to 
retire  to  their  rooms  by  a  side  entrance  as  he  is  engaged 
entertaining  friends  in  the  hotel  parlor  and  main  entrance. 
The  proprietor  is  named  Saint -Pierre,  hence  the  name  of 
the  hotel.  He  claims  to  be  a  French  count,  but  the  con- 
sensus of  most  people  is  that  he  is  crazy.  He  is  a  little, 
bald-headed  old  man  about  sixty-five  years  old,  with  a  gray 
moustache  and  imperial.  He  orders  the  guests  around  as 
as  if  he  was  bestowing  upon  them  a  favor  for  allowing  them 
to  get  lodging  there.  Many  people  desiring  to  obtain 
rooms  there  are  expected  to  furnish  a  pedigree.  Colonel 
David  Brainard,  U.  S.  A.,  military  attache  to  the  United 
States  Embassy  at  Buenos  Aires,  a  very  distinguished  man 
and  one  of  the  survivors  of  the  famous  Greely  expedition 
that  attempted  to  discover  the  North  Pole  some  time 
ago,  was  on  an  extended  trip  through  Paraguay  with  his 
friends.  From  Villa  Rica  he  telegraphed  to  Monsieur  le 
comte  de  Saint-Pierre  engaging  rooms.  The  latter  worthy 
before  he  would  allow  his  distinguished  guests-to-be  to 
take  up  their  domicile  at  his  establishment  looked  up  their 
character  and  antecedents  much  to  the  amusement  and 
disgust  of  Colonel  Brainard  and  friends. 

The  Gran  Hotel  del  Paraguay  occupies  several  single 
story  buildings  in  a  large  lawn  on  a  hill,  a  twenty  minutes' 
ride  by  cab  from  the  business  section  of  Asuncion.  For  a 
man  it  is  too  far  away  to  be  handy,  but  it  is  an  ideal  place 
for  ladies  with  yarn  to  knit  and  novels  to  read.  The 
American  consul  rooms  there.  The  bad  feature  of  this 
hotel  is  that  the  pedestrian  at  night  in  walking  or  driving 
there  should  never  take  his  finger  from  the  trigger  of  his 
Derringer,  for  thieves  often  lurk  behind  the  giant  locust 
trees  on  the  Avenida  Espaha.     After  2  a.m.  the  street 


1 82  Journeys  and  Experiences 

lights  go  out;  walking  then  up  the  unnbrageous  road  is 
nearly  impossible. 

Natives  stop  at  the  Hotels  Kosmos,  Espanol,  Palermo, 
and  other  similar  dumps  conducive  to  vermin,  mosquitoes, 
and  malodorous  toilets. 

A  Dutchman  runs  an  excellent  high-class  pension  named 
Villa  Colombia,  where  Argentine  highbrows  such  as  Don 
Nicolas  Mihanovich  sojourn  while  visiting  the  city.  This 
is  in  a  large  lawn  across  the  street  from  the  Belvedere 
gardens.  While  I  was  in  Asuncion,  there  was  a  big  hul- 
labaloo because  some  thief  stole  eleven  thousand  dollars 
which  the  Dutchman  had  hidden  in  an  envelope  in  his 
residence. 

The  Capitol  is  a  large  barnlike  rambling  building  with 
broad  verandas  and  is  crowned  with  a  square  cupola.  It 
was  built  by  Carlos  Antonio  Lopez  and  is  the  pride  of  the 
inhabitants ;  its  picture  adorns  the  postage  stamps  of  high 
denominations  and  also  the  two  peso  paper  currency. 

Asuncion  is  the  only  South  American  city  which  has 
stone  sidewalks.  They  were  originally  built  during  the 
regime  of  Lopez  L,  who  was  the  patron  of  modernity. 
Asuncion  as  well  as  Villa  Encarnacion  has  brick  sidewalks 
like  the  Massachusetts  towns.  The  bricks  and  tile  are  of 
good  quality  and  shape.  The  brick  layers  and  stone 
masons  do  better  work  here  than  in  Argentina  and  the 
rough  brick  buildings  do  not  look  as  dilapidated  as  in  the 
last  named  republic.  The  red  soil  of  Paraguay  is  adapted 
to  the  manufacture  of  good  bricks  and  a  specie  is  turned 
out  akin  to  Bradford  red. 

There  are  three  breweries  in  Paraguay:  the  one  owned 
by  Bosio  Brothers  being  the  large  fine  one  at  the  port. 
There  is  a  branch  brewery  at  a  suburb  named  Puerto 
Sanjonia  which  is  now  closed  down.  This  brewery  and 
that   of   the    Cerveccria    Montevideana    at   Montevideo, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   183 

Uruguay,  brew  the  best  beer  in  South  America.  The  14  de 
Mayo  brewery  at  Villa  Encarnacion  likewise  turns  out  a 
good  product  and  there  is  a  small  German  brewery  at 
San  Bernardino  in  whose  beer  spring  water  is  used.  This 
last  mentioned  brewery  caters  solely  to  family  and  local 
trade  like  that  of  Ahrens  in  Cordoba  and  those  of  Peters 
and  of  Degen  in  San  Antonio,  Texas.  The  Asuncion 
drinking  water  of  the  hotels  is  the  limit.  They  have  no 
wells  but  instead  they  have  tanks  on  their  roofs  to  catch 
the  rain  water.  These  tanks  are  never  cleaned  and  the 
sides  are  covered  with  green  fungus.  A  dead  cat  bloated 
beyond  recognition  was  found  in  the  tank  of  the  Hispano- 
Americano.  I  drank  the  water  without  knowing  it.  At 
home  we  eat  frog's  legs.  The  Asuncenos  delight  in  eating 
the  body  of  the  cucurus,  the  great  garden  toad.  The 
Chaco  Indians  rejoice  in  stewed  monkey  and  fried  slices 
of  gra?i  vibora,  a  snake  peculiar  to  that  swamp,  while  the 
iguana  is  held  in  edible  estimation  by  the  white  population. 
Locust  pies  and  boiled  parrot  also  find  their  way  down 
the  alimentary  canals  of  the  aborigines. 

The  two  places  of  the  greatest  interest  to  the  stranger  in 
Ascuncion  are  the  cemetery  of  Mangrullo  and  the  market- 
place. The  former  is  located  beyond  the  city  limits  on 
the  road  to  Puerto  Sajonia.  It  is  on  a  high-road  hill  from 
which  an  excellent  panorama  can  be  had  of  the  city,  the 
river,  and  the  Chaco  beyond.  The  origin  of  the  name  is 
unknown,  but  the  word  "Mangrullo"  is  always  used  to 
denote  the  military  lookout  tower. 

This  cemetery  is  redolent  with  the  thoughts  of  spooks, 
banshee,  ghosts,  and  other  phantomic  gentry  of  like 
species.  In  daytime  it  is  a  lugubrious  place  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  high  walls,  from  above  which  tower  slender 
cypress  trees,  and  at  night  it  must  be  doubly  so,  especially 
when  the  moon  plays  on  the  mortuary  chapel  from  the 


1 84 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


tree  limbs.  This  cemetery  is  where  the  poor  people  are 
buried;  the  wealth}-  are  interred  in  the  aristocratic 
Recoleta. 

On  the  ])ath,  long  before  reaching  Mangrullo,  wailing 
is  heard  coming  from  within  the  enclosure.  At  the 
entrance  seated  on  the  ground  are  aged  women  selling 


Mangrullo  Cemetery,  Asuncion 


fruit  with  pogiiazil  cigars  in  their  mouths.  A  leper  or 
two  adds  charm  to  the  scene.  They  are  not  begging,  but 
expect  everyone  waiting  for  somebody  to  slip  a  peso  bill 
(23-2  C-)  into  their  spotted  hands.  From  the  iron  entrance, 
the  only  road  in  the  cemetery  leads  to  the  chapel  in  the 
center.  Black  clothed  persons  wander  ghoulishly  among 
the  tombstones,  their  hats  in  their  hands.  A  concourse 
of  people  is  assembled  in  front  of  the  building.  Nearby  is 
a  wooden  tower,  and  on  a  platform  underneath  its  roof  a 
hunchback  is  ringing  the  bell,  making  it  peal  at  slow 
intervals.     The  bell  stops  and  the  wailing  of  the  bare- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    185 

headed  assembly  begins.  This  lasts  about  five  minutes; 
the  hunchback  then  tolls  the  bell  anew,  this  time  in  a  rapid 
succession  of  clangs.  The  men  lift  up  the  rude  box 
containing  the  dead  person  from  which  the  olfactory  aroma 
of  putrid  flesh  arises  and  carrying  it  to  the  shallow  grave, 
they  bury  it  to  the  tune  of  the  great  bell  which  has  again 
started  ringing.  When  the  bell  stops,  the  women  start 
wailing  again  and  the  men  stand  aside  to  smoke,  talk 
politics,  and  watch  the  scene.  The  wailing  is  not  caused 
so  much  through  grief  as  it  is  to  see  who  can  make  the 
loudest  noise. 

A  woman  had  lost  her  two  weeks'  old  baby  and  her 
relations  as  far  removed  as  the  fourth  generation  of 
cousin  had  come  to  mourn.  The  shrieks  emitted  were 
not  human.  They  sounded  more  like  the  snarling  and 
growling  of  animals,  the  howling  of  hyenas  and  ululations 
of  owls.  The  women  worked  themselves  into  a  frenzy  of 
hysteria,  and  the  bereaved  mother  threw  herself  on  the 
grave  and,  lying  on  her  back,  kicked,  struggled,  and  writhed 
until  she  became  unconscious  through  her  own  emotions. 
One  of  these  wailing  fests  that  I  witnessed  came  to  a 
sudden  and  untimely  end.  While  the  family  and  relatives 
of  a  murdered  man  had  reached  a  soprano  in  the  shrieking 
test,  a  nacanina  (large  viper)  crawled  from  a  hole  beneath 
a  tombstone  and,  frightened  at  the  lugubrious  wails, 
attempted  to  escape  by  safely  crawling  away.  It  took 
its  course  among  the  mourners,  and  the  hurried  scamper 
of  footsteps  to  the  tune  of  blasphemous  and  ungodly  oaths 
was  now  the  order  of  the  funeral  aftermath. 

The  graves  in  the  MangruUo  cemetery  are  so  multi- 
tudinous and  so  close  together  that  it  is  impossible  for  a 
funeral  procession  to  reach  the  newly  dug  grave  without 
crossing  numerous  mounds.  There  are  but  few  monu- 
ments, iron  crosses  painted  black  taking  their  places. 


1 86  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Iron  fences  surround  the  graves  of  those  who  have  well- 
to-do  relatives.  But  few  inscriptions  tell  the  age  of  the 
beloved  deceased;  instead  there  hangs  at  each  cross 
a  photograph  likeness  of  the  dead. 

The  market-place  of  Asuncion  probably  offers  more 
attractions  to  the  stranger  than  in  any  other  city.  It  is 
situated  in  the  middle  of  the  town  and  has  a  large  covered 
frame  building  where  meats  are  hung.  Making  a  circum- 
vallation  of  the  butcher  shop  are  benches  where  sit  women, 
white,  black,  Indian,  and  mixed  breed,  offering  for  sale 
cigars  of  their  own  manufacture.  Outside  on  the  ground 
squat  the  rabble  who  cannot  afford  a  chair  at  the  benches. 
They  sell  j^arrakeets,  divers  song-birds,  the  succulent 
stubby  native  banana,  curiously  shaped  peppers,  avo- 
cados, herbs,  pineapples,  and  cooked  viands.  At  the 
entrance  to  the  market  are  kiosks  where  cana  or  native 
rum  is  dispensed.  At  8:00  A.M.  the  market-place  repre- 
sents great  animation.  Lazy,  fat  lousy  dogs,  hundreds  in 
number,  their  bellies  gorged  with  rare  meat  and  offal,  lie 
in  glutinous  stupor  in  the  aisles  and  under  the  shade  of 
large  stationary  umbrellas.  They  lick  the  grease  from 
the  roasted  meat  for  sale  and  urinate  in  the  frying  pans. 
Ignorant  natives  purchase  these  meat  roasts  and  greedily 
devour  it,  unconscious  of  its  flavoring.  This  is  the  one 
place  in  Asuncion  where  meat  and  fresh  vegetables  are  for 
sale,  and  the  private  families  and  hotel  guests  are  obliged 
to  partake  of  it  or  starve. 

But  few  foreign  women  visit  Asuncion;  it  should  be 
their  paradise  because  here  for  a  song  can  be  purchased 
the  nanduti,  the  most  delicate  silk  and  cotton  embroidery 
in  existence  woven  by  the  native  women.  This  wonderful 
texture  represents  much  labor  and  is  in  great  demand. 
The  giiayaba  flower  is  a  popular  design,  a  round  blossom 
with  a  starlike  center.     Stuffed  alligators  and  cucurus 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  1H7 

adorn  the  store  windows  and  live  parrots  sell  for  a  few 
cents  apiece.  In  buying  a  parrot,  one  should  previously 
enlist  the  services  of  a  native.  Birds  under  one  year  are 
most  precious  and  those  with  the  yellow  head  command 
the  highest  iDrice.  In  order  to  make  the  old  birds  appear 
wild  and  hearty,  the  natives  feed  them  with  rum.  This 
makes  them  flutter  and  their  antics  then  create  a  grand 
show  off.  En  voyage  a  few  days  later  they  die  of  old  age 
and  the  innocent  purchaser  is  unaware  that  rimi  was  used 
to  produce  unnatural  activity.  It  is  better  to  purchase 
parrakeets  in  Buenos  Aires  because  the  pick  of  Paraguay 
is  exported  to  the  bird  stores  on  the  Calle  Moreno.  At 
San  Bernardino  can  be  bought  lovely  egrets  and  butterfly 
wings.  Monkeys  cannot  stand  transportation  and  soon 
die. 

The  physicians  of  Asuncion  are  poor  and  but  few  hold 
genuine  degrees.  Every  bowel  or  stomach  complaint  that 
the  patient  gets,  they  are  likely  to  diagnose  as  appendi- 
citis, and  they  are  anxious  to  operate  with  dirty  instru- 
ments which  they  carry  loosely  in  their  pockets.  I 
know  of  a  case  of  a  woman  having  a  dull  pain  high  up  on 
her  left  side  which  they  claimed  was  appendicitis  and 
they  wanted  to  operate  on  her  for  it,  telling  her  it  was  a 
reflex  pain,  when  in  reality  it  was  nothing  but  a  common 
fatty  tumor. 

One  of  the  curses  in  Asuncion  and  so  acknowledged  by 
the  English  residents  are  the  missionaries  from  Australia 
classed  as  the  Plymouth  Brethren,  which  belief  is  akin  to 
that  of  the  Methodists.  No  missionaries  are  needed  in 
Paraguay.  These  Plymouth  Brethren,  numbering  two 
families,  were  sent  to  Asuncion  with  free  transportation 
and  a  monthly  salary  of  twenty  pounds  to  teach  religion  to 
the  poor  benighted  heathen  which  there  does  not  exist. 
They  hold  services  at  their  pleasure  in  a  rooin  in  their  houses 


1 88  Journeys  and  Experiences 

to  a  congregation  that  scarcely  reaches  six  in  number.  The 
remainder  of  their  time  the}^  spend  in  indolent  ease,  for  a 
person  in  Asuncion  can  live  like  a  king  on  one  hundred 
dollars  per  month.  One  of  the  chief  Paraguayan  indus- 
tries is  the  manufacture  of  cigars.  The  native  women 
make  two  classes,  the  pognazu  and  pohi.  The  first  men- 
tioned are  long,  large,  strong  cigars  which  sell  at  23^  c. 
per  half  dozen.  This  is  a  favorite  one  with  the  native 
women  who  invariably  have  one  poked  half-way  down 
their  muzzle,  the  ashy  end  just  protruding.  The  pohis 
are  small  cigars  with  outside  wrapper  grown  from  Havana 
seed.  They  are  more  aromatic  and  sell  for  23^2  c-  ^  dozen. 
The  factories  made  five  cigars,  that  of  La  Veguera  turn- 
ing out  one  named  "Don  Alfonso"  which  sells  for  120 
pesos  ($3)  for  twenty-five,  or  12  c.  apiece.  This  same 
brand  sells  in  Buenos  Aires  for  50  c.  apiece  and  is  equal 
to  the  best  Havanas  that  sell  in  the  United  States  for  $1 
apiece.  The  nandeyara  guazu  is  a  fine  cigar  that  sells  for  30 
pesos  (75  c.)  a  hundred.  Paraguay  is  a  smoker's  paradise 
and  the  advantage  of  the  tobacco  is  that  it  never  causes 
sore  spots  on  the  tongue  nor  any  other  vocal  irritation. 

The  inhabitants  are  extremely  laz3^  and  on  the  estancias 
the  men  live  in  indolent  ease,  their  many  concubines 
doing  the  real  labor.  Strangers  living  in  Paraguay 
become  in  time  like  the  natives,  taking  their  siesta  at  noon 
and  putting  off  all  work  until  the  morrow.  The  business 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  Germans,  and  Italians. 
There  are  over  five  thousand  Germans  in  the  republic  but 
like  the  Spaniard  they  are  unpopular  with  the  natives. 
There  is  much  wealth  in  Asuncion  according  to  the  Para- 
guayan standard  but  very  little  according  to  the  European 
standard.  The  town  teems  with  millionaires  but  a 
million  ])esos  Paraguayan  amounts  to  only  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars.    These  people  can  make  a  great  splurge 


In  i\rgentlna,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   189 

and  live  in  great  style  in  Asuncion  where  food  is  plenti- 
ful and  good,  qualifying  a  luxury.  The  women  of  these 
people  assume  great  airs.  There  are  only  two  real  mil- 
lionaires according  to  their  wealth  in  North  American 
currency.  One  is  Saccarello,  an  Italian  estanciero  and 
the  other  is  Jorba,  a  Spaniard,  who  has  a  general  store 
and  who  is  an  extensive  exporter  with  an  office  in  Bar- 
celona. Angulo,  another  exporter  and  storekeeper,  is 
wealthy  as  well  as  Urrutia  and  Uguarte,  bankers;  but 
these  last  named  people  are  not  millionaires.  For  $7500 
can  be  built  a  palace  of  a  house.  Land  is  cheap  all  over 
the  republic.  There  is  a  market  for  all  native  products 
which  are  lumber,  cattle,  mandioca,  sugar  cane,  tobacco, 
yerba  mate,  and  tannic  acid.  But  little  is  exported  on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  labor  for  the  men  will  not  work. 
What  labor  there  is,  is  cheap.  For  example,  the  old  Span- 
iard who  is  bartender,  table  waiter,  floor  sweeper,  and 
general  factotum  of  the  Hotel  Hispano-Americano  only 
receives  $10  a  month,  with  practically  no  income  from 
tips.  With  this,  he  supports  his  English  wife  and  four 
children.  Poverty  in  Paraguay  is  unknown.  About 
5000  acres  of  rich  soil  can  be  purchased  for  $10,000. 

Paraguay  is  one  of  the  few  South  American  countries 
which  has  iron  but  as  yet  it  is  not  exploited,  although  in 
the  period  of  the  Five  Years'  War  it  furnished  material 
from  which  the  cannon  were  manufactured  in  Asuncion. 
The  language  of  the  country  is  Guarani,  phonetic,  expres- 
sive and  rich  in  vowels.  Foreigners  learn  it  easily  and  it  is 
the  vernacular  of  all  excepting  those  people  dealing  with 
strangers.  The  newspaper  was  formerly  published  in  it 
and  Lopez  was  at  one  time  thinking  seriously  of  making 
it  the  official  language  of  the  country.  Outside  of  Asun- 
cion it  is  essentially  spoken  throughout  the  country  and 
in  certain  districts  Spanish  is  of  no  avail. 


190  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Some  of  the  Asuncenas  are  gems.  If  the  reader  of  this 
work  has  previously  read  my  South  American  Travels  he 
may  remember  of  my  stating  that  I  saw  in  the  telegraph 
office  in  Asuncion,  working  as  clerks,  two  of  the  most 
beautiful  girls  that  I  have  ever  gazed  upon.  This  time 
while  in  the  city  I  returned  to  the  telegraph  office  osten- 
sibly to  send  a  message,  but  in  reahty  to  see  if  the  same 
maidens  were  still  on  the  job.  The  youngest  was  there,  a 
marvelous  work  of  God,  but  three  years'  lapse  ot  time 
had  slightly  undermined  her  beauty.  Although  we  had 
seen  each  other  but  one  brief  moment  before  and  had  met 
thousands  of  people  in  the  interval,  recognition  was  at 
once  mutual.  I  told  her  how  beautiful  she  was,  how  she 
attracted  me  and  how  I  longed  to  make  her  acquaintance. 
She  reciprocated  my  attentions,  told  me  that  her  name 
was  Marcelina  Espinosa  and  that  I  had  permission  to  call 
on  her.  This  happened  on  the  eve  of  my  departure  for 
Motto  Grosso,  and  I  assured  her  that  when  I  returned  to 
Asuncion  in  the  course  of  two  months  that  I  certainly 
should  avail  myself  of  the  pleasure  of  her  kind  invitation. 

Not  wishing  to  seem  egotistical  in  making  this  state- 
ment, I  was  not  long  in  Asuncion,  before  I  discovered 
that  I  appealed  to  Paraguayan  womanhood.  Oftentimes 
of  an  evening  while  passing  along  the  residential  streets 
I  would  notice  women  in  the  act  of  closing  the  doors  or 
the  shutters.  On  seeing  me  they  would  desist  from  this 
occupation  and  regard  me  longingly  and  sympathetically 
until  I  had  disappeared  from  sight.  At  a  printing  estab- 
lishment which  had  picture  postal  cards  for  sale,  a  fine 
looking  woman  on  whose  face  was  depicted  latent  passions 
which  only  needed  encouragement  to  become  a  reality, 
waited  on  me.  As  I  paid  her  for  a  trivial  purchase,  she 
let  her  hand  linger  in  mine  looking  at  me  appealingly  for 
reciprocation. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  191 

An  old  native  woman  in  the  market-place  admired  a 
gold  ring  with  jade  setting  which  I  always  wear  as  a  lucky 
stone.  She  was  not  content  only  in  admiring  it,  but  she 
went  through  the  market  and  got  her  Iriends  to  come 
and  look  at  it.  Many  of  these  were  comely  girls.  They 
not  knowing  that  I  understood  a  word  of  Guarani  re- 
marked on  its  beauty,  and  then  tell  to  discussing  me  in 
most  charming  terms. 

Although  most  Paraguayans  are  born  out  of  wedlock, 
the  inhabitants  are  not  immoral.  Like  the  majority  of 
Latin  Americans  they  are  unmoral  because  they  never  had 
any  morals  to  begin  with.  It  is  quite  the  thing  in  Asun- 
cion tor  men  forty  years  old  and  more  to  have  lustful 
intentions  on  twelve-year  old  girls.  Women  frequently 
marry  at  fourteen  years  ot  age,  but  men  seldom  do  so 
before  they  are  thirty  years  old.  Many  women  remain 
single  for  there  are  nine  women  to  every  man  in  Paraguay, 
owing  to  the  decimation  of  the  latter  in  the  numerous 
revolutions  that  have  taken  place,  and  with  such  a  dis- 
proportionate ratio  on  the  side  of  the  w^omen,  it  is  easy 
for  the  men  to  satisfy  their  desires  without  marriage. 
Excepting  among  the  highest  social  classes  virtue  among 
women  has  no  value  and  men  who  are  old  enough  to  be 
grandfathers  lasciviously  ogle  girls  that  have  scarcely 
reached  the  age  of  puberty.  This  great  disparity  of  ages 
does  not  have  the  evil  results  that  are  often  the  case  in 
colder  countries.  The  women  soon  lose  their  good  looks 
while  the  men  seldom  change  until  they  reach  old  age. 
The  girls  for  generations  have  been  taught  to  marry  men 
considerably  older  than  themselves;  thus  the  caned  and 
bespatted  young  fops  that  haunt  the  cafes  and  moving 
picture  shows  are  obliged  to  form  mesalliances  with  young 
half-breed  girls.  The  latter  are  too  ignorant  to  make  any 
objection  to  being  seduced  as  they  have  been  taught  that 


192  Journeys  and  Experiences 

it  is  the  natural  state  of  affairs.  No  matter  how  unmoral 
the  people  are,  a  Paraguayan  girl  is  rarely  to  be  found  in  a 
brothel.  Many  men  going  by  different  names  are  half 
brothers,  having  had  the  same  mother  but  different  fathers. 
As  in  all  countries  of  lax  morals,  syphilis  is  rife.  But  very 
few  of  the  inhabitants  show  outward  symptoms  of  it,  for  it 
is  so  much  inbred  in  the  people  that  it  has  lost  its  virulence. 

I  had  met  on  the  train  coming  from  Buenos  Aires  a 
man  who  was  so  Teutonic  in  appearance  and  in  style  of  his 
clothes  that  I  had  supposed  him  to  be  fresh  from  Germany. 
He  sat  across  from  me  at  the  table  in  the  dining  car  after 
leaving  Villa  Encarnacion,  and  I  was  surprised  to  hear  him 
answer  "Chileno"  when  the  Paraguayan  immigration 
inspector  asked  him  his  nationahty.  He  was  the  grand- 
son of  a  German  who  had  settled  in  Southern  Chile.  This 
man  that  I  met  was  about  forty  years  old  and  is  so  promi- 
nent in  financial  circles  that  his  name  is  famous  all  over 
Southern  Chile.  He  was  now  on  his  way  to  Asuncion  to 
look  over  one  of  the  two  Paraguayan  gunboats  which  the 
government  wished  to  sell  in  order  to  obtain  sufficient 
funds  to  pay  off  the  army  with.  If  the  gunboat  suited 
him  he  could  have  it  shipped  to  Chile  and  have  it  re- 
modeled as  a  freighter  or  a  passenger  ship.  His  name 
for  obvious  reasons  I  shall  designate  as  M . 

Senor  M was  a  very  entertaining  man,  had  traveled 

all  over  the  world,  and  appeared  to  have  a  good  knowledge 
of  sociology.  I  invited  him  to  the  Hispano-Americano 
to  have  dinner  with  me  and  he  in  turn  invited  me  to  dine 
with  him  at  the  Saint-Pierre  where  he  sojourned.  We 
went  a  couple  of  times  to  the  moving  picture  shows  and 
to  the  Belvedere  gardens.  His  discourse  was  always 
of  the  most  moral  and  elevating  character  which  was  a 
marked  contrast  to  that  of  the  natives.  One  night  I 
suggested  that  we  should  take  in  a  vaudeville  entertain- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  193 

ment  that  was  being  staged  at  the  Belvedere.  He  agreed 
and  I  went  to  the  Hotel  Saint-Pierre  to  meet  him.  As  it 
was  a  nice  evening  he  suggested  that  we  should  walk, 
although  it  was  nearly  two  miles  there.  Soon  after 
starting  out,  a  tropical  thunder  storm,  so  common  to 
southern  latitudes,  came  up,  and  rain  fell  in  such  a  deluge 
that  we  were  obliged  to  take  shelter  in  a  doorway.  The 
street  became  a  veritable  river  and  owing  to  the  violence 
of  the  downpour  the  street  cars  stopped  running.  Just  as 
suddenly  as  the  storm  had  broken,  it  stopped.  It  was  too 
wet  to  continue  walking  and  as  we  were  trying  to  arrive 
at  a  decision  as  to  how  we  could  best  get  to  Belvedere,  a 

little  girl  about  fourteen  years  walked  by.    M noticed 

her  and  straightway  walked  out  of  the  shelter  where 
we  were  standing  to  say  something  to  her.  I  supposed 
that  he  had  gone  to  question  her  about  the  car  service,  but 
as  they  conversed  at  length  and  as  I  saw  her  smile,  I 
thought  I  would  walk  up  to  see  what  the  joke  was.  Im- 
agine my  astonishment  when  I  heard  M ,  whom  I  had 

supposed  to  be  so  moral  and  before  whom  I  was  always 
choosing  my  language,  in  conversation  with  this  child 
inducing  her  to  allow  him  to  seduce  her.  My  astonish- 
ment was  still  greater  when  she  accepted  his  approaches 
and  walked  off  with  him  in  the  direction  of  the  Hotel 
Saint-Pierre  where  we  had  just  come  from. 

About  two  o'clock  the  next  afternoon  as  I  was  returning 

to  my  hotel  from  a  walk,  I  saw  M on  the  marble 

stairs  of  the  Hispano-Americano  offering  pecuniary 
inducements  to  any  of  the  old  women  (none  were  under 
fifty)  who  daily  sat  on  the  bottom  steps  displaying  nan- 
duti  embroidery  for  sale,  if  one  would  come  up  to  a  bed- 
room for  a  half  hour.     M did  not  make  such  a  hit 

with  these  nandiiti  women  as  he  did  with  the  little  native 
girl,  for  none  would  accept  his  terms. 


194      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

I  upbraided  M roundly  for  his  actions  telling  him 

that  he  should  be  ashamed  of  himself  for  making  such 
propositions  to  young  girls.  "Es  costumbre"  (It's  the 
custom  ")  he  would  answer,  and  that  was  all  the  excuse  he 
could  give  for  his  actions.  He  informed  me  that  he  had 
discovered  that  the  Paraguayan  native  was  much  like 
the  Chilean  of  the  lower  stratum,  and  that  for  a  few  pesos 
he  could  "fix"  any  policeman  or  irate  parent  in  Asuncion 
the  same  way  as  he  could  at  his  home  town  in  Chile. 
This  man  thought  he  was  doing  nothing  unnatural  or  to 

be  ashamed  of.     I  later  found  out  that  M was  telling 

the  truth  as  far  as  it  was  "costumbre,"  for  Chile  and 
Paraguay  have  among  their  respected  citizens,  men  who 

emulate  the  same  acts  as  M and  are  not  arrested  for 

them,  while  here  in  North  America  they  would  be  safely 
behind  the  bars  of  some  institution  for  doing  the  same 
thing. 

About  twenty  miles  northwest  of  Asuncion  is  the 
entrancing  Lake  Ypacara-i,  twelve  miles  long  by  five 
broad.  Its  shores  are  dotted  with  the  summer  residences 
of  the  Asuncene  aristocracy.  San  Bernardino  is  a  Ger- 
man colony  and  is  the  most  delectable  place  in  all  Para- 
guay. It  is  reached  by  train  from  Asuncion  to  Aregua, 
another  summer  resort  where  cars  are  changed.  A  couple 
of  miles  from  Aregua  is  a  station  named  Kendall,  whence 
one  can  cross  by  launch  to  San  Bernardino,  where  are 
located  the  Hotel  del  Lago  and  the  Hotel  Rasmussen, 
the  first  mentioned  being  the  best.  The  scenery  is 
beautifully  pastoral  and  brings  to  one's  mind  Virgil's 
Bucolics,  for  here  like  the  scenery  he  described  in  his 
immortal  work,  shepherd  boys  watch  their  ovine  flocks 
playing  melodies  on  slender  reeds. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TO  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  PAEAGUAY  RIVER 

Strolling  down  to  the  dock  one  day  I  saw  a  sign  stating 
that  the  steamer  Asuncion  would  be  saiUng  for  Corumba, 
Brazil  that  same  evening  at  six  o'clock.  I  inquired  how 
long  it  took  to  reach  its  destination,  and  upon  being  told 
four  days,  bought  a  ticket.  I  once  had  the  misfortune  of 
being  a  passenger  on  the  S.  S.  Asuncion  when  it  ran 
aground  on  a  mud  bank  in  the  Parana  River  and  was 
moored  twenty-six  hours  in  midstream.  It  is  one  of  the 
older  ships  of  the  Mihanovich  Line  and  formerly  plied 
between  Buenos  Aires  and  Asuncion.  It  has  no  salon  and 
the  guests  are  obliged  to  sit  in  the  dining  room.  Two 
other  steamship  companies  run  to  Corumba.  The  Bra- 
zilian Lloyd  with  fortnightly  service  and  the  Vierci  Line 
owned  in  Asuncion.  The  latter  boats  and  those  of  the 
Mihanovich  Line  touch  at  all  the  river  ports,  while  the 
only  stop  besides  Asuncion  that  the  Brazilian  Lloyd  makes 
in  Paraguay  is  Villa  Concepcion. 

It  became  dark  soon  after  sailing,  and  at  nine  o'clock  we 
tied  up  to  the  dock  at  Villa  Hayes,  a  small  town  on  the 
Chaco  side  of  the  river  and  named  in  honor  ot  Rutherford 
Hayes,  ex-president  of  the  United  States,  who  was  the 
arbiter  in  a  boundary  dispute  between  Argentina  and 
Paraguay.  He  rendered  a  decision  in  favor  of  the  latter 
country.  A  high  wind  blew  all  night,  and  without  it 
the  heat  would  have  been  nearly  unbearable. 

195 


196  Journeys  and  Experiences 

The  next  morning  when  I  awoke  I  saw  that  the  sides  of 
the  river  were  bounded  by  a  tropical  forest.  The  steamer 
hugged  the  east  bank  for  here,  the  river  a  mile  wide  at  this 
point,  was  the  deepest.  Beautiful  racemose  clusters  of 
red  lilies  grew  from  tall  slender  stalks;  from  water  oaks 
were  suspended  air  plants  and  purple  orchids;  lianas 
ropelike,  hung  from  the  tree  tops  to  the  ground.  At  ten 
o'clock  the  steamer  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  a  small 
stream  named  the  Cuarepoti  up  which,  a  mile  or  so,  is  the 
settlement  of  Rosario.  Several  rowboats  came  up  with 
passengers.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  wide 
and  swiftly  flowing  Jejuy  River  is  reached  on  which  is 
the  now  dismantled  fort  of  San  Pedro.  The  Paraguay 
River  widens  out  and  is  filled  with  many  islets,  some  of 
them  large.  The  forest  had  receded  and  the  swampy 
land  was  flooded;  from  the  islets  in  the  marshes  rose 
groves  of  hiaty  palms  and  the  lagoons  were  covered  by  the 
wonderful  aquatic  plant,  the  Victoria  Regia.  The  leaves 
of  this  plant  are  round  and  flat,  and  they  resemble  huge 
floating  dishes.  Where  the  edges  are  turned,  turtles  crawl 
up  on  the  leaves  and  bask  in  the  sun.  Besides  the  Vic- 
toria Regia  there  are  lotus  plants  and  I  saw  a  reed  resembl- 
ing papyrus.  As  the  steamer  passes,  crocodiles  flop  in  the 
river  with  a  heavy  thud  and  hissing  nacaninas  crawl  into 
the  dank  undergrowth. 

At  ten  o'clock  that  night,  Villa  Concepcion  was  reached 
where  we  remained  nearly  two  hours.  1  stopped  at  that 
hellfire  town  for  three  days  on  my  return  trip  and  regretted 
it.  I  imagine  that  in  the  winter  it  is  a  pleasant  enough 
place  as  far  as  climate  goes,  but  at  the  time  of  my  visit  it 
was  fierce.  The  rains  had  swollen  the  river,  which  had 
overflowed  its  banks  and  practically  left  the  town  an 
island  in  a  fresh  water  sea  from  which  emerged  tree 
trunks.     It  was  hotter  than  tlie  fictitious  Hades  and  a  low 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  197 

gray  vapor  shrouded  everything  from  sight  mornings  and 
evenings.  The  sun  came  out  torrid  several  times  a  day, 
alternated  by  thunder  showers.  Bugs,  reptiles,  and 
insects  were  galore. 

Villa  Concepcion  is  the  fourth  city  in  Paraguay  in 
population,  although  the  unincorporated  place  of  Luque 
is  larger.  Its  estimated  population  is  15,600  although  I 
think  one  half  these  figures  would  be  nearer  the  mark. 
In  importance,  it  is  the  second  town  in  the  republic  for  in 
the  hinterland  are  sugar  mills  to  which  a  railroad  extends. 
The  terminus  is  Horqueta,  about  forty  miles  inland.  Con- 
cepcion is  built  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Paraguay  River 
which  here  is  a  mile  wide,  and  facing  the  town  is  an  island. 
A  few  miles  south  of  it,  the  Ipane  River  empties  into  the 
Paraguay. 

The  Ipane  gives  the  name  to  Concepcion 's  main  street, 
a  miserable  thoroughfare  of  one  story  brick  and  wood 
buildings  plastered  over.  There  are,  however,  a  few 
buildings  of  size  on  this  street  and  on  the  other  principal 
street,  whose  name  is  Aquidaban.  A  ditch  runs  along 
each  side  of  Calle  Ipane,  and  there  is  one  in  the  middle  of 
Calle  Aquidaban.  These  are  crossed  by  planks  being 
thrown  across  them.  The  water  had  washed  some  of  the 
planks  away  which  made  the  streets  impassable.  Strange 
to  say,  Villa  Concepcion  boasts  of  one  automobile,  a  Ford. 
As  in  Asuncion  the  market-place  is  of  interest,  although  it 
is  on  a  much  smaller  scale  than  that  of  the  capital.  The 
main  breathing  place  is  named  Plaza  de  Libertad  from  the 
Statue  of  Liberty  which  graces  its  center.  It  stands  on  an 
octagonal  base  with  funeral  wreaths  in  bas-relief,  while  on 
a  ledge  on  top  of  the  base  are  perched  eight  cement  lions. 
The  allegorical  goddess  reposes  her  hand  upon  a  shield. 
Her  picture,  taken  from  this  statue  adorns  the  Para- 
guayan jubilee  postage  stamps  of  a  lew  years  back. 


19'"^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Sometime  during  the  night  that  we  left  Villa  Con- 
cepcion,  we  passed  by  the  mouth  of  the  Aquidaban  River. 
It  was  up  its  valley  that  Francisco  Solano  Lopez  retreated 
with  the  remnants  of  his  brave  army  in  1870  closely 
pursued  by  the  Brazilian  cavalry,  and  it  was  at  the  base 
of  a  mountain  named  Cerro  Cora  at  the  headwaters  of  the 
Aquidaban,  many  miles  distant  in  the  tropical  forest  that 
he  met  his  death,  being  pierced  through  the  body  by  the 
lances  of  the  enemy.  Among  his  retinue  was  his  mistress, 
Madame  Lynch  and  some  of  her  hench women.  Strange 
to  say  when  they  were  captured  they  were  found  clad 
in  silken  dresses  of  the  latest  Parisian  creation  and 
wearing  low  ballroom  slippers,  and  this  in  the  midst  of  th3 
deepest  imaginable  water-soaked  jungle  miles  away  from 
civilization. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  reached  the  village  of  San 
Salvador  with  its  beef -packing  plant.  The  saladero  is  a 
stock  company  composed  of  North  American  and  German 
capital.  They  slaughter  the  long-horned  native  cattle, 
which  are  cheap  here.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War, 
the  British  Government  ordered  from  them  $240,000 
worth  of  canned  beef  which  was  delivered  and  consumed  by 
the  British  Army.  This  beef  is  still  unpaid  for.  Great 
Britain  refuses  to  pay  on  account  of  the  majority  of  the 
shares  of  stock  being  held  by  Germans.  By  this  refusal 
it  is  also  hurting  the  interests  of  the  North  Americans 
who  have  stock  in  the  company,  which  amounts  to  nearly 
one  half.  This  defalcation  of  payment  has  put  the 
saladeria  on  the  hummer  and  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of  a 
receiver. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  whole  town  of  wSan  Salvador 
was  wrought  up  by  an  incident  that  had  occurred  the 
day  before,  and  which  was  the  only  topic  of  conversation. 
The   foremen  of  the  saladero  pay  off  the  laborers  with 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  199 

time  checks  which  they  present  at  the  company  office 
for  currency.  A  native  forged  one  of  these  checks  and 
made  such  a  poor  job  of  it  that  he  was  refused  payment 
and  threatened  with  arrest.  Angered,  he  whipped  out  a 
big  knife,  long  and  thin  with  a  razor  edge,  with  the  inten- 
tions of  annihilating  the  manager,  a  North  American. 
The  latter  grabbed  a  revolver  which  scared  the  Para- 
guayan, who  started  to  run  down  the  road. 

Leaning  against  a  fence  post,  with  his  hand  on  the  rail, 
stood  another  North  American,  a  mere  boy,  and  a  friend 
of  the  manager  who  had  arrived  from  the  United  States, 
but  three  days  before  on  a  visit,  and  not  at  all  connected 
with  the  company.  The  route  of  the  fleeing  native  led 
by  this  young  chap,  and  as  he  ran  by  him,  he  raised  his 
arm  and  aimed  a  blow  with  his  knife  at  the  young  fellow's 
hand,  which  was  so  powerful  that  it  completely  severed 
it  at  the  wrist.  The  Paraguayan  was  caught  and  lodged 
in  a  temporary  jail.  The  next  morning,  the  day  of  my 
arrival,  he  was  to  be  taken  in  a  rowboat  to  Villa  Concep- 
cion  to  be  tried. 

The  sequel  to  this  event  which  I  heard  on  my  return 
trip  was  as  follows:  His  guards  not  relishing  the  long 
rowboat  trip  to  Concepcion,  for  it  would  take  them  several 
hard  days  rowing  upstream  on  the  return  journey,  pitched 
the  native  overboard  in  midstream.  A  few  bubbles  came 
up  as  a  saurian  closed  its  jaws  upon  him,  and  a  red  tinge 
rose  to  the  surface  of  the  river. 

From  vSan  Salvador  northward,  occasional  round  hills 
are  met.  The  first  of  these  is  Itapucumi  (sleeping  giant), 
two  hours  above  the  settlement.  Here  the  Paraguay 
River  makes  a  great  bend  and  narrows  to  one-half  mile  in 
width.  It  is  studded  with  green  islands,  some  of  them 
floating.  Puerto  Max,  where  there  is  another  saladeria, 
is  stopped  at   and  farther  on,   we  passed   the   stockade 


2(xj  Journeys  and  Experiences 

of  an  old  penal  settlement.  At  dusk  we  passea  another 
cluster  of  isolated  hills  on  the  east  bank ;  the  west  bank  is 
now  a  great  dismal  swamp.  The  River  Apa  is  reached 
wliich  is  the  boundary  line  between  Paraguay  and  the 
Brazilian  state  of  Matto  Grosso.  We  now  have  Brazil 
on  the  right  and  the  Paraguayan  Chaco  on  the  left. 

Next  to  Amazonas,  Matto  Grosso  is  the  largest  state 
in  Brazil.  Its  area  is  539,092  square  miles  and  its  pop- 
ulation is  estimated  at  about  245,000.  Only  three  South 
American  republics  (excepting  Brazil,  of  which  this  state 
is  a  part),  Argentina,  Bolivia,  and  Peru  have  a  larger 
area  than  Matto  Grosso.  It  occupies  the  very  center  of 
South  America  and  its  capital,  Guy  aba,  is  more  geographi- 
cally situated  in  the  center  of  that  continent  than  any 
other  town.  The  main  industry  of  Matto  Grosso  is  stock 
raising,  there  being  over  2,500,000  head  of  cattle  within  its 
confines.  In  this  respect  it  is  third  among  the  Brazilian 
states,  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  and  Minas  Geraes  outranking 
it.  The  name  given  to  the  native  cattle  is  cuyabdra;  they 
are  noted  for  their  viciousness,  are  red  and  unlike  the  Para- 
guayan breed,  are  short-horned.  A  saladero  or  saladeria 
(the  name  for  the  whole  establishment),  is  in  Brazil  named 
a  charqueada  and  there  are  several  of  these  in  the  state 
besides  a  factory  where  beef  extract  is  made  at  Sao  Luiz. 
The  eastern  part  of  the  state  is  a  plateau  with  several 
high  ranges  of  hills;  the  western  part  is  a  forest;  great 
areas  being  flooded  at  certain  seasons  on  account  of  poor 
drainage.  The  word  Matto  Grosso  means  "l)ig  forest," 
matto  being  a  covering  of  trees  and  bushes.  Besides 
stock  raising,  rubber  plays  an  important  i)art  of  the  state's 
industries  but  this  latter  is  confined  to  the  northwestern 
region  where  is  located  the  Madeira- Mamore  Railroad. 
The  only  other  railroad  in  thc^  state  is  a  few  miles  of  track 
outside  of  Corumba.     It  will  form  i)art  of  the  Mogyana 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  201 

system  when  completed,  as  the  present  intentions  are  to 
connect  Corumba  with  Sao  Paulo.  There  was  a  telegraph 
line  to  Cuyaba  and  to  Corumba,  via  Goyaz  but  it  is  fre- 
quently out  of  commission.  It  takes  three  weeks  of  travel 
to  reach  Cuyaba  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  this  trip  is  made 
by  the  Parana  and  Paraguay  rivers. 

On  the  third  morning  we  reached  an  estancia,  the 
settlement  of  Porto  Murtinho  with  its  swampy  back- 
ground. There  were  numerous  wild  ducks  and  plover  to 
be  seen.  This  is  the  starting  place  for  egret  hunters; 
many  of  these  birds  abounding  in  the  back  country. 
wShortly  after  leaving  the  place,  two  hills  rise  on  each  side 
of  the  river.  The  one  on  the  right  being  so  much  higher 
that  the  eminence  on  the  left  appears  low.  These  are  re- 
spectively Pao  d'Assucar  and  Fecho  dos  Morras.  Further 
up  and  on  another  hill  is  the  Brazilian  Fort  Barranco- 
branco  and  beyond  it  on  an  eminence  on  the  Paragua- 
yan side  is  Fort  Olimpo.  In  the  afternoon,  we  stop  at 
Puerto  Ledo,  Puerto  Esperanza,  Puerto  14  de  Mayo,  and 
Puerto  Boggiani,  all  in  Paraguay,  and  at  dark  reach  a 
place  where  the  river  widens  into  a  lake  which  is  named 
Bahia  Negra.  This  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
Paraguay  and  the  Otuquis  rivers.  The  last  mentioned 
stream  being  commonly  called  Rio  Negro.  We  here  left 
Paraguayan  territory  as  the  Brazilian  boundary  line  is 
arrived  at  on  the  left  bank.  In  the  night  we  passed  Fort 
Coimbra  and  when  I  awoke  the  following  morning  there 
were  hills  on  the  west  bank.  The  river  had  narrowed 
down  to  one  quarter  of  a  mile.  In  the  afternoon  we 
passed  Fort  Albuquerque  and  late  at  night  arrived  at 
the  wTctched  but  lively  city  of  Corumba,  commercial 
center  of  Matto  Grosso  and  the  synonym  of  lawlessness 
and  disorder. 

This  vile  town  with  its  diseased  population  and  a  jump- 


202  Journeys  and  Experiences 

ing-off  place  of  commercial  riffraff,  has  a  population  of 
nearly  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  built  on  the 
high  banks  of  the  west  shore  of  the  Paraguay  River.  The 
water  is  six  feet  deep  at  the  docks  when  the  river  is  low  but 
the  project  has  long  been  contemplated  of  deepening  the 
channel  so  that  vessels  drawing  twenty  feet  can  anchor 
there.  Nineteen  hundred  and  eighty-six  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  La  Plata  River,  it  is  the  head  of  navigation 
for  large  boats  and  it  has  an  immense  trade,  considering 
the  size  of  the  place,  on  account  of  its  being  the  sole  dis- 
tributing point  for  southern  Matto  Grosso.  The  tortu- 
ous muddy  road  leads  up  the  bank  to  the  town  which  is 
well  built  with  morgue-like  edifices.  The  structures  are 
mostly  of  one  story  and  many  have  semicircular  round-top 
windows,  which  are  uncommon  in  all  South  American 
countries  excepting  Brazil,  where  they  are  characteristic. 
The  Hotel  Paris,  where  I  stopped,  was  nothing  at  all 
like  Paris  and  the  slovenly  waiters  had  a  cutthroat 
appearance. 

Corumba  has  a  widely  established  reputation  for  dis- 
order. It  is  so  far  from  the  Federal  capital  of  Brazil  that 
it  might  be  anywhere  else  in  the  world  as  far  as  the 
inhabitants  having  any  fear  from  that  quarter  of  ])unish- 
ments  for  their  misdeeds.  Matto  Grosso  is  run  very 
much  as  if  it  were  an  independent  country,  and  on  account 
of  the  low  caliber  of  the  native  potentates  and  politicians, 
lawlessness  is  rampant.  Nearly  every  man  in  the  city 
carries  a  long  thin  razor-edged  knife  and  many  of  the 
population  give  testimony  of  a  one-time  fight  with  this 
kind  of  weapon  by  the  scars  to  be  seen  on  their  visages. 
There  are  some  whose  nose  has  been  severed  and  others 
who  are  minus  an  ear.  There  is  but  little  public  safety 
there  from  murder  or  robbery  or  both  on  the  back  streets 
after  nightfall.     The  natives  like  to  pretend  that  they 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  203 

are  atheists  but  I  have  noticed  that  this  same  tribe  either 
shnk  away  in  a  hangdog  fashion  when  they  see  a  priest 
approaching  or  else  are  quick  to  drop  on  their  knees  and 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

As  to  industry,  besides  having  a  charqueada,  Corumba 
has  a  brewery  and  the  Ladario  naval  arsenal.  The  town,  I 
think,  has  a  good  future  on  account  of  its  central  location. 
The  surrounding  country  is  swampy  so  there  is  apt  to  be 
malaria  but  otherwise  it  is  fairly  free  from  epidemics. 
Most  of  the  inhabitants  are  syphilitic  or  are  afflicted  with 
other  diseases  due  to  lax  morals.  The  climate,  though 
hot,  is  better  than  that  of  Villa  Concepcion,  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  in  the  summer  months  the  thermometer  rises 
as  high  as  it  does  in  Asuncion. 

The  280-mile  trip  from  Corumba  to  Cuyaba  is  made  in 
anywheres  from  four  days  to  a  week  and  one  half  on  small 
steamers  of  fifty  tons.  At  their  very  best,  they  make  an 
average  of  seventy  miles  a  day  of  twelve  hours  as  they  tie 
up  to  the  bank  at  night.  These  boats,  owned  locally 
and  also  by  the  Vierci  Brothers  of  Asuncion,  carry  twenty 
first-class  and  fifty  third-class  passengers.  Since  the 
traffic  is  heavy,  it  is  necessary  for  the  traveler  to  board 
the  steamer  the  day  before  to  obtain  a  convenient  place 
to  sling  his  hammock  and  then  hire  some  roustabout  to 
watch  it  for  him.  Otherwise  somebody  else  would  be  apt 
to  remove  it.  If  a  person  waited  until  the  morning  of 
departure  before  slinging  his  hammock,  he  would  find  all 
the  suitable  places  occupied.  It  is  impossible  to  sleep 
in  one  of  the  few  cabins  which  have  bunks  on  account  of 
the  heat  from  the  ship's  engines  combined  with  that  of  the 
atmosphere. 

Corumba  is  384  feet  above  the  sea  level;  Cuyaba  is  401 ; 
thus  the  drop  in  280  miles  is  only  17  feet  or  Y\o  of  an 
inch  to  a  mile.     The  swampy  pasture  which  is  entered 


204  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  which  continues  until  the  day  Cuyaba  is  reached  is 
one  of  the  hell  holes  of  this  earth.  This  immense  marsh, 
which  is  350  miles  across  in  an  east  to  west  line,  extends 
into  Bolivia  and  is  a  fiat  piece  of  ground  grown  to  marsh 
grass  in  which  countless  herds  of  semi-wild  cattle  fatten. 
There  are  occasional  stunted  trees  whose  penurious  shade 
afifords  the  sole  protection  against  the  powerful  sun  and 
blinding  rays.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day,  we 
passed  a  few  huts  named  Tres  Barras  and  at  night  ])ulled 
up  to  shore  at  a  cape  formed  by  the  confiuence  of  the 
Cuyaba  and  Paraguay  rivers.  On  account  of  the  low 
drop  in  altitudes,  there  is  such  poor  drainage  that  branches 
of  the  Paraguay  and  Cuyaba  shoot  out  in  all  directions, 
forming  numerous  channels  in  a  great  delta.  The  Para- 
guay is  considerably  wider  than  the  Cuyaba  and  has  a 
much  greater  volume  of  water  as  well  as  a  swifter  current. 
It  is  navigable  for  small  vessels  as  far  as  Sao  Luiz  de 
Caceres  about  250  miles  farther  up. 

The  whole  trip  was  uneventful  through  a  most  mo- 
notonous country.  About  a  day  and  one  half  before  we 
reached  the  capital,  another  river  flowing  from  the  north- 
east and  about  the  same  size  as  the  Cuyaba  entered  it. 
This  river  was  named  the  Sao  Lourencj-o  although  I  under- 
stand that  the  natives  are  in  the  habit  of  giving  this  same 
name  even  to  the  Cuyaba  River  below  its  confluence. 
The  heat  was  fierce  but  strange  to  say  there  were  but  few 
mosquitoes.  It  is  most  peculiar  that  of  the  whole  La  Plata 
river  system  mosquitoes  are  most  abundant  in  the  delta  of 
the  Parana  River  between  Rosario  and  Buenos  Aires,  and 
that  up  in  the  tropics  of  northern  Paraguay  and  Matto 
Grosso  where  one  would  think  they  would  be  most  likely 
to  be  found,  they  are  noticeable  by  their  absence.  In 
other  parts  of  Matto  Grosso  where  the  rivers  belong  to  the 
Amazonian  watershed,  1  understand  they  are  legion.     At 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  205 

night  fireflies  came  out  in  bunches  and  the  swampy  plain 
was  resonant  with  the  croaking  of  frogs.  One  afternoon 
nearly  a  week  after  leaving  Corumba,  hills  appeared  on 
the  right  which  took  on  the  form  of  low  mountains  and 
these  continued  in  view  until  the  capital  in  the  midst  of 
a  thickly  settled  country  was  approached. 

Cuyaba  is  an  old  city  of  one-story  houses,  strongly  built, 
and  boasts  of  wide  grass-grown  streets,  and  a  vSpacious 


Street  Scene,  Cuyaba 


shadeless  plaza  on  which  faces  the  cathedral.  It  is  said 
to  have  been  founded  a  couple  of  hundred  years  ago  by 
Portuguese  prospectors  who  started  out  from  Sao  Paulo. 
During  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  the  center  of  the 
placer  district  and  the  headquarters  of  the  miners  who 
equipped  themselves  here  for  their  trips  to  the  remote 
parts  of  Brazil  and  what  is  now  Bolivia.  It  was  a  lively 
place  in  those  days,  but  a  hundred  years  ago  became 
decadent  until  recently  when  the  cattle  industry  took  a 
boom.  In  the  last  decade  it  has  picked  up,  and  its  popu- 
lation to-day  numbers  not  far  from  twenty  thousand. 
It  is  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  is  electric  lighted  (on  the  main 


2o6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

street),  and  is  in  telegraphic  communication  (sometimes) 
with  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  IVIogyana  Railroad  system  from 
Sao  Paulo  is  expected  to  extend  here  shortly  which  will  be 
a  great  benefit  to  the  place,  as  well  as  facilitate  exporta- 
tion. In  many  respects  Cuyaba  is  a  fine  city  although 
it  falls  far  below  the  standard  of  a  North  American  city  of 
the  same  size.  It  has  many  fine  residences,  and  an  air  of 
proudness  and  of  aristocracy  enthralls  it .    It  is  the  residence 


Street  Scene,  Outskirts  of  Cuyaba 


of  quite  a  few  persons  of  wealth,  and  I  am  told  that  among 
its  inhabitants  are  three  millionaires,  who  by  the  wa}^  prefer 
to  live  in  Paris  and  in  Lisbon  rather  than  in  the  stagnant 
town  where  they  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  Cuyaba  is  very 
nearly  in  the  center  of  South  America  and  it  seems  incredi- 
ble that  in  this  region  so  little  known,  the  surrounding 
country  is  so  thickly  populated  and  well  cultivated.  It  is 
said  that  three  quarters  of  the  entire  population  of  the  tre- 
mendously large  State  of  Matto  Grosso  inhabit  a  radius 
of  fifty  miles  from  Cuyaba  as  the  center.  The  Chapada 
Mountains  to  the  east  rise  to  a  height  of  2733  feet.     Cool 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  207 

breezes  blow  from  the  plateau  of  which  they  form  the 
western  barriers,  causing  the  temperature  not  to  be  over- 
oppressive.  There  is  but  little  malaria  away  from  the 
river;  the  diseases  common  to  the  country  seem  to  be 
beri-beri  and  leprosy.  Many  people  afflicted  with  the 
last-named  malady  are  found  in  all  parts  of  Matto  Grosso, 
but  not  so  much  so  in  the  cities  as  in  the  country.  This 
form  of  leprosy  is  not  supposed  to  be  contagious.  Many 
of  its  victims  also  have  elephantiasis. 

I  was  told  that  the  springs  that  form  the  source  of  the 
Paraguay  River  were  about  four  days'  horseback  ride 
distant,  and  as  it  has  always  been  my  ambition  to  gaze 
upon  them,  I  decided  to  visit  them.  I  had  already  seen 
the  source  of  the  Amazon,  and  considered  that  my  trav- 
els in  South  America  would  be  far  from  complete  if  I 
failed  to  also  see  the  place  whence  the  second  greatest 
water  system  in  that  continent  took  its  source.  I  had 
seen  ancient  woodcuts  of  the  source  of  the  river,  the  one 
which  defined  itself  in  my  mind  being  from  a  drawing  in 
the  works  of  Dr.  Martius,  1832.  It  depicts  a  fiat,  grassy 
plain  in  which  is  a  pool,  of  irregular  shape,  about  a  stone's 
throw  wide  by  the  same  dimension  long,  encircled  by 
sixty-three  hiaty  palms  with  slender  trunks.  Martius' 
works  are  long  out  of  print  but  a  copy  of  his  woodcut 
is  reproduced  on  page  60  of  Album  Grdfico  de  la  Repiiblica 
del  Paraguay  by  Arsenio  Lopez  Decoud,  Buenos  Aires, 
191 1.  Many  times  during  the  long  winter  nights  in  my 
Northern  Michigan  home  I  have  sat  in  front  of  the  fire- 
place and  gazed  at  this  woodcut,  always  hoping  that 
it  would  be  my  fortune  to  gaze  upon  the  original.  I 
became  obsessed  with  this  fixed  idea  in  Buenos  Aires, 
which  was  augmented  in  Asuncion,  and  it  was  solely 
for  this  reason  that  I  went  first  to  Corumba  and  thence  to 
Cuyaba,  getting  nearer  and  nearer  the  goal  of  my  quest. 


2o8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

In  Cuyaba  1  was  told  that  the  source  lay  not  many  kilo- 
meters from  the  main  traveled  road  from  there  to  Dia- 
mantmo,  and  was  easily  accessible.  Little  did  I  think 
that  in  seeing  it.  the  trip  would  be  responsible  for  the  loss 
of  a  life. 

The  second  day  after  my  arrival  in  Cuyaba  I  met  a 
German  commercial  traveler  named  Huber  who  repre- 
sented a  Rosario  importing  house  of  harvesting  machin- 
ery. He  was  bound  to  Diamantino  and  having  heard  that 
I  had  the  same  destination,  suggested  that  we  should  make 
the  trip  together  as  he  had  but  little  use  for  the  natives, 
thinking  that  they  might  murder  and  rob  him  en  route. 
I  agreed  but  said  that  in  case  he  accompanied  me  he 
would  have  to  deviate  from  his  route  for  a  day  to  see  the 
source  of  the  Paraguay.  He  said  that  it  was  a  lot  of 
nonsense  and  that  I  could  see  these  springs  on  my  way 
back.  I  replied  that  I  had  no  object  to  go  to  Diamantino 
excepting  to  rest  a  day  or  so  after  having  seen  the  springs, 
and  that  having  come  so  far  to  see  them  I  would  do  so 
anyhow,  regardless  of  whether  he  would  accompany  me  or 
not.  Huber  became  disgruntled  and  told  me  he  would  let 
me  know  that  night  whether  he  would  go  to  the  unneces- 
sary trouble  to  view  this  "dummheit "  as  he  called  it.  He 
spent  most  of  the  day  interviewing  the  foreign  element 
of  Cuyaba  inquiring  if  anyone  else  in  the  place  had  the 
intention  of  setting  out  for  Diamantino  within  the  next 
couple  of  days.  His  inquiries  evidently  were  met  with 
negative  answers  for  as  I  was  about  to  retire  he  came  to 
my  room  and  stated  that  he  was  ready  to  set  out  with  me 
the  following  morning. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  set  out  with  two  guides  which 
we  had  engaged  through  the  medium  of  the  Italian  consu- 
lar agent  and  followed  a  cart  road  along  the  east  bank  of 
the  Cuyaba  River,  which  was  becoming  so  narrow  that 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   209 

one  could  easily  heave  a  good-sized  stone  across  it.  At 
noon  we  stopped  at  a  miserable  leper-infested  place 
named  Guia,  the  center  of  a  stock  country,  and  by  night- 
fall reached  the  hamlet  of  Brotas.  Not  wishing  to  share 
my  bed  with  the  vermin  that  infested  the  hotequim  which 
went  by  the  name  of  hotel,  I  hung  my  hammock  between 
two  trees  in  the  rear  of  the  establishment. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  day  we  arrived  at  dusk  at 
the  large  village  of  Rosario  da  Cuyaba,  finely  situated  on 
a  height  of  land  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Cuyaba  River 
which  we  forded  below  the  town.  This  Rosario  is  at 
the  foot  of  some  low  mountains  and  is  a  pleasant  place 
although  but  a  wreck  of  its  former  self.  It  was  once 
quite  a  placer  center,  and  some  diamonds  were  found  here 
that  are  now  among  the  crown  jewels  of  Austria.  There 
is  a  fairly  comfortable  four-bedroom  hotel  where  I  spent 
the  night,  but  got  but  little  sleep  on  account  of  the  hooting 
of  an  owl  in  a  nearby  bush.  The  hotel  is  owned  by  a 
Spaniard  who  has  resided  for  over  thirty  years  in  the 
country.  In  the  meantime  he  took  one  trip  back  to 
Spain  but  returned  as  he  preferred  Matto  Grosso.  Ro- 
sario is  998  feet  above  sea  level,  being  597  feet  higher  than 
Cuyaba.  I  think  its  population  is  in  excess  of  two  thou- 
sand. There  is  a  project  on  hand  to  inaugurate  an 
electric  lighting  plant  and  to  build  a  charqueada. 

From  here  to  Diamantino  it  is  a  hard  two  days'  ride  if 
one  wishes  to  visit  the  source  of  the  Paraguay  owing  to 
the  detour  of  about  six  hours.  The  road  that  wound  up 
the  low  mountains  named  the  Serra  Azul  is  no  better  than 
a  cow  path,  and  was  extremely  rocky  and  slippery.  The 
shrubbery  is  very  thick  and  is  covered  with  thorns,  al- 
though there  are  no  large  trees.  Occasionally  a  clearing 
is  met  where  languid  natives  have  attempted  to  grow 
enough  legumes  for  their  meager  wants,  together  with  the 


210  Journeys  and  Experiences 

omnipresent  sugarcane  patch  which  suppHes  them  with 
enough  cachaca  for  their  frequent  debauches.  Their 
huts  are  painted  pink  or  white  and  can  be  seen  from  a 
great  distance,  at  which  point  of  vantage  they  always 
appear  at  their  best.  At  one  of  these  fazendas,  as  the 
farms  are  called,  we  stopped  for  the  night.  A  small  stream 
but  a  couple  of  inches  deep,  filled  with  pebbles  and  where 
pools  were  formed  with  watercress,  trickled  through  the 
fazenda.  It  served  the  farmer  with  his  supply  of  drinking 
water,  water  for  his  stock,  the  washing  place  of  his  clothes, 
as  well  as  the  washing  place  for  the  feet  of  his  numerous 
offsjjring.  On  each  side  of  the  rivulet  were  trees  and 
from  them  we  slung  our  hammocks.  One  end  of  my  ham- 
mock was  tied  to  a  tree  on  the  left  bank,  the  other  end 
to  a  tree  on  the  right  bank;  if  the  rope  had  broken  or 
come  loose,  I  would  have  dropped  into  the  creek.  The 
hospitality  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  tropics  of  South 
America  is  in  marked  contrast  to  the  stinginess  and  mean 
actions  of  those  people  that  inhabit  the  Andean  uplands. 
Nowhere  in  Paraguay  or  Brazil  have  I  been  subjected  to 
the  discourtesy  and  suspicion  that  greet  every  traveler 
in  the  mountains  of  Peru  or  Bolivia.  This  particular 
fazendado  not  only  insisted  upon  helping  our  guides  cook 
the  meals,  but  also  added  canned  goods  which  he  had 
bought  in  Cuyaba,  and  refused  to  accept  any  pecuniary 
remuneration  therefor.  The  next  morning  he  accompan- 
ied us  for  a  few  miles  on  his  pony  and  also  went  to  much 
trouble  to  point  out  to  us  where  the  best  paths  were. 

From  the  top  of  the  Serra  Azul  near  where  the  fazenda 
was  situated,  a  broad  valley  w^as  seen  to  open  out  at  our 
feet.  It  was  swampy,  and  was  carpeted  with  marsh 
grasses  and  rushes  which  were  yellow.  To  the  northwest 
the  sun  reflected  on  a  tortuous  silver  thread  which  was 
the  river.     In  several  places  the  stream  lost  itself  behind 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   211 

islets  of  mangrove  while  in  front  of  us  it  was  barely  per- 
ceptible on  account  of  the  tules  in  the  bog  which  screened 
it  from  view.  Our  guides  pointed  out  what  seemed  to  be  a 
group  of  palmettos  several  kilometers  to  the  east  and 
informed  us  that  there  were  the  springs  from  which  the 
Paraguay  had  its  source.  Leaving  the  cart  track  we 
galloped  over  the  oozing  sod  of  black  muck  at  the  risk  of 
getting  our  horses  stalled  in  the  mire.  Great  blue  herons, 
startled  at  our  approach,  rose  from  the  tules,  emitting  shrill 
cries,  and  flew  away  to  a  place  of  safety,  the  noise  of  their 
flapping  wings  sounding  like  that  made  by  a  person  beat- 
ing a  rug.  Near  the  tops  of  some  trees  resembling  water 
oaks  we  observed  some  egrets,  but  unfortunately  they  were 
at  too  great  a  distance  to  bring  down  with  a  revolver  shot. 

The  appearance  of  the  source  of  the  Paraguay  River 
was  much  different  in  details  from  Dr.  Martius'  woodcut, 
yet  in  general  aspects  it  had  quite  a  resemblance.  The 
drawing  that  I  saw  was  made  nearly  a  century  ago,  and 
during  that  lapse  of  time  the  features  of  the  immediate 
landscape  may  have  changed.  It  may  have  been  that 
the  drawing  in  Martius'  work  was  made  from  memory, 
away  from  the  spot,  and  that  not  being  present  at  the  pool 
when  the  drawing  was  made,  his  memory  was  not  accurate. 
Some  of  the  hiaty  palms  may  in  the  meantime  have  died 
and  rotted.  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  photograph  it  on 
account  of  the  noonday  shadowless  sun,  but  I  made  a  rough 
pencil  sketch  of  the  scenery. 

Picture  to  yourself  a  great  bog  of  yellow  rushes  waving 
in  the  sweltering  noonday  heat  with  no  trees  in  sight, 
excepting  a  nearly  perfect  circle  of  eleven  hiaty  palms; 
inscribe  in  this  circle  a  pool  of  dark  steel-blue  transparent 
water.  This  pool  is  about  150  feet  in  diameter,  and  on  its 
surface  float  several  gigantic  pan-like  leaves  of  Victoria 
Regia.     From  where  I  stood  I  saw  that  the  pool  abounded 


212 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 


with  small  fishes.  Looking  into  the  water,  I  saw  several 
feet  beneath  the  surface  something  that  appeared  to  be 
a  rocky  ledge.  At  its  side  and  beneath  it  from  which 
bubbles  constantly  rose  was  a  black  hole  of  Stygian  dark- 
ness. This  I  conjectured  was  the  main  spring.  On  a 
branch  of  one  of  the  palm  trees  perched  an  owl,  the  only 
living  thing  in  sight  excepting  ourselves  and  our  horses. 
I  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  take  a  plunge  and  a  swim  in 
this  pond,  the  zenith  of  my  quest  and  the  goal  of  many 
years'  thoughts.  Yet  I  had  the  feeling  that  this  harmless- 
looking  water  might  conceal  some  reptile,  an  alligator  or 
giant  turtle,  so  I  quickly  gave  up  the  idea,  but  lying  on  my 
belly  I  gulped  down  several  large  swallows  of  the  water, 
which  sad  to  relate  was  not  as  cool  as  I  had  imagined 
it  to  be  and  also  had  a  rank  taste  as  of  decaying  vegetable 
matter. 

The  water  flowing  from  the  pool  does  not  take  any 
definite  bed,  but  at  first  spreads  out  over  quite  an  area,  a 
few  inches  deep,  between  the  thousands  of  marshy  islets, 
mere  detached  tufts  of  sod  but  a  few  feet  wide.  A  quarter 
of  a  mile  below  the  pool  the  numerous  channels  unite  into 
two  watercourses,  which  at  a  short  distance  farther  con- 
verge into  a  single  creek.  This  creek  is  but  a  few  feet 
wide,  and  is  clear  and  clean,  a  remarkable  phenomenon 
on  account  of  the  muddy  swamp  which  it  traverses. 

Leaving  the  pool  we  made  for  the  northern  horizon 
defined  by  a  height  of  land  resembling  low  hills,  but  had 
some  difficulty  on  account  of  the  horses  continually 
stumbling  and  tri])ping  themselves  on  the  roots  of  a  species 
of  creeper  that  had  white  blossoms  and  which  covered  the 
landscape  at  the  edge  of  the  marsh.  After  an  hours'  ride 
we  reached  the  hills  and  came  upon  a  distinct  cattle  path 
which  wound  through  a  jungle  and  finally  brought  us  out 
on  a  cart  road. 


3 

S3 


214  Journeys  and  Experiences 

At  the  pool  Huber  never  dismounted  from  his  pony, 
but  sat  leaning  over  in  his  saddle  resting  his  head  on  his 
hand.  I  asked  him  why  he  did  not  get  down  but  beyond 
muttering  a  few  words  about  "such  nonsense"  he  neither 
said  nor  did  anything.  Several  times  on  the  ride  from  the 
pool  to  the  hills  he  complained  of  having  a  headache,  and 
although  I  gave  him  a  couple  of  acetphenetidin  tablets 
they  did  him  no  good.  He  became  feverish  and  said  he 
felt  as  if  he  were  burning  up.  He  gradually  became  worse, 
and  his  pupils  narrowed  down  to  the  size  of  a  pin  head 
while  his  eyes  began  to  shine  like  coals.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  he  kept  his  saddle,  and  the  last  few  miles 
into  Diamantino  he  had  to  be  propped  into  position  by  his 
guide. 

Diamantino,  whose  name  should  not  be  confused  with 
the  flourishing  mining-center  of  Diamantina  in  the  state 
of  Minas  Geraes,  is  a  town  of  about  three  thousand  inhabi- 
tants built  on  the  side  of  a  red  earth  hill  but  a  short  dis- 
tance to  the  north  of  the  Paraguay  River,  here  a  few  rods 
wide.  From  a  distance  it  resembles  Tallahassee  on  ac- 
count of  the  red  color  of  the  soil,  and  the  similarity  of 
their  respective  townsites.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
central  Brazil.  Formerly  it  was  important  in  the  mining 
annals  of  the  country  on  account  of  gold  and  diamonds 
having  been  discovered  in  its  vicinity,  but  mining  has  long 
since  played  out,  and  it  is  only  important  commercially  at 
the  present  time  through  the  exportation  of  vanilla  beans. 
It  is  also  the  starting  place  for  laborers  to  the  rubber  dis- 
trict in  the  forests  of  the  north  and  northwest.  Diaman- 
tino is  at  the  base  of  the  great  central  plateau  of  Brazil, 
which  extends  eastward  into  Goyaz,  its  limits  being 
defined  by  the  Serra  Azul.  The  latter  is  the  watershed 
between  the  Amazon  and  the  La  Plata  river  systems. 
Beyond  these  mountains  is  a  vast  impenetrable  forest 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   215 

inhabited  by  Indians.  The  proximity  is  evident  by  the 
great  number  of  members  of  this  race,  which  I  beHeve 
exceeds  the  white  population  of  the  village.  But  a  day's 
journey  northward,  I  understand,  is  the  town  of  Porto 
Velho  on  the  Arinos  River  which  farther  on  becomes  the 
Tapajos,  the  latter  being  the  boundary  line  of  the  exten- 
sive States  of  Amazonas  and  Para;  the  Tapajos  finally 
flows  into  the  Amazon  at  Santarem. 

Diamantino  is  one  of  the  most  funereal  towns  imaginable. 
Its  houses  are  neath^  whitewashed,  but  the  absence  of 
panes  in  the  windows  gives  the  impression  of  tombs. 
The  doors  are  like  black  holes  in  a  vault.  The  streets  are 
wide  and  are  grown  to  grass  on  which  horses  graze;  the 
lawns  of  the  better-class  houses  are  set  back  in  rank  gar- 
dens enclosed  by  walls  which  have  pillars  at  the  gates. 
The  whole  impression  is  that  of  a  country  cemetery. 

The  three  inns  of  the  place,  if  such  they  can  be  called, 
run  more  to  botequim  (barroom)  than  to  looking  after  the 
culinary  welfare  and  lodging  of  their  guests.  A  rubber 
train  had  just  entered  the  town ;  the  laborers  had  just  been 
paid  off  and  were  now  riotously  and  in  good  humor  making 
the  streets  and  botequims  resound  with  their  merriment. 
They  were  fast  filling  up  on  piraty  cachaca,  a  fiery  rumlike 
liquid  made  from  sugar  cane.  A  glass  of  this  beverage 
will  make  an  ordinar}^  man  "fall  under  the  table"  and 
it  is  so  cheap  that  it  is  within  the  reach  of  all.  On  it  a 
man  can  get  one  of  the  cheapest  jags  known,  and  like  a  tew 
other  intoxicants  it  goes  down  like  oil.  Only  the  peasants 
indulge  in  it,  although  it  can  be  obtained  in  the  better- 
class  botequims  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  If  a  well-dressed 
stranger  should  stroll  into  a  cafe  in  Rio  and  ask  for  some 
of  it,  the  waiter  would  be  apt  to  look  at  him  in  astonish- 
ment, wondering  what  sort  of  a  common  fellow  he  was 
and  how  he  got  his  fine  clothes,  for  it  is  the  drink  of  the 


2i6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

lower  stratum  of  society.  It  is  kept  on  the  boats  of  the 
BraziHan  Lloyd;  at  Montevideo  Brazilian  roustabouts 
swim  out  to  them,  buy  the  beverage,  and  in  a  drunken 
stupor  have  to  be  rowed  ashore. 

At  the  medicore  and  filthy  inn  which  was  the  best  of  the 
three  at  Diamantino,  where  I  obtained  a  lodging  no 
better  than  a  hen  coop,  I  tried  to  get  the  best  room  in  the 
place  for  Huber  who  was  now  so  sick  that  he  could  not 
stand.  The  landlord  gruffly  remarked  that  his  place  was 
no  hospital,  and  would  not  take  him  in.  Watching  over 
him,  I  sent  the  guides  to  the  other  two  places  but  they 
likewise  refused  to  shelter  him.  Somebody  suggested 
that  the  priest  might  find  a  habitation  for  him,  and  upon 
my  instructions  set  out  to  find  that  worthy,  who  presently 
arrived  in  a  semi-state  of  inebriation.  The  holy  man, 
with  filthy  robes  and  an  unshaven  countenance,  scruti- 
nized Huber  minutely  through  his  bleary  eyes,  and  in  a 
sottish  voice  said  he  could  be  taken  to  the  end  house  in  the 
village  where  upon  his  recommendation  and  for  about 
thirty  thousand  reis  ($7.50)  he  would  receive  "every- 
thing that  was  to  be  desired."  The  price  was  terribly 
exorbitant,  but  owing  to  the  condition  the  commercial 
traveler  was  in,  there  was  no  time  to  argue,  so  we  set  off 
to  the  place  indicated,  the  two  guides  carrying  him,  while 
the  drunken  priest,  myself,  and  what  seemed  to  be  half 
of  the  male  population  of  Diamantino  followed.  An  old 
woman,  toothless  and  humped,  with  the  eternal  black  cigar 
between  her  lips,  discolored  with  nicotine,  came  to  an 
a]jerture  which  served  as  the  door  and  gesticulating 
frantically  refused  admission.  The  priest  called  her  aside, 
and  said  something  to  her  which  we  could  not  hear,  but  it 
evidently  appeased  her  for  she  came  back  saying  that  it 
would  be  all  right  for  him  to  stay  there  provided  she  was 
paid  in  advance.     1  was  on  the  point  of  accepting  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   217 

offer  when  a  tall,  handsome  man  in  uniform  appeared, 
and  asked  what  the  rumpus  was  about.  A  hundred  voices 
tried  to  answer  at  the  same  time.  He  motioned  them  to 
be  silent,  and  heard  me  out.  No  sooner  had  I  stopped 
speaking  than  the  crowd  again  began  to  speak.  He  or- 
dered them  to  stop,  and  addressing  me  said  that  he  was  the 
chief  of  police  as  well  as  the  mayor  of  the  town,  and  that 
his  house  was  at  our  disposal  gratis.  I  accepted  his  kind 
offer,  much  to  the  dismay  of  the  priest  and  toothless  hag 
who  were  now  begging  me  to  let  Huber  stay  with  them. 

The  two  guides,  who  had  laid  the  German  down  with  a 
coat  under  his  head  as  a  pillow  in  the  shade  of  a  wall, 
picked  him  up  and  we  set  out  toward  the  mayor's  residence, 
but  a  short  distance  away.  The  crowd  started  to  follow, 
but  the  mayor  with  some  harsh  oaths  ordered  them  away. 
They  all  dispersed  excepting  a  curious  few  who  eyed  us 
from  a  distance.  The  mayor's  house  was  a  long  one- 
story  building  facing  a  common  grown  to  grass  and  milk- 
weed. It  had  in  front  a  wide  tile-paved  veranda  whose 
heavy  roof  was  supported  by  square  pillars.  On  this 
veranda  were  benches  where  the  family  sat  evenings,  and 
where  the  functionary  entertained  his  guests.  The  room 
in  which  he  ordered  Huber  placed  was  tile  paved,  high, 
and  cool,  with  two  windows,  one  of  them  at  the  side  nearly 
covered  with  vines.  In  it  was  an  iron  bedstead,  a  couple 
of  chairs,  a  table,  and  a  wash  basin.  All  the  front  win- 
dows of  the  house  had  vertical  iron  bars.  The  mayor,  a 
perfect  gentleman,  sent  a  boy  whom  I  imagined  to  be  his 
son  for  a  doctor  while  he  invited  me  to  be  seated  on  a 
bench  and  chat  with  him  till  the  medico  arrived.  He  was 
particular  to  inquire  when  and  how  Huber  had  been  taken 
sick,  as  he  said  he  did  not  care  to  have  anybody  in  his 
place  who  had  a  contagious  disease. 

The  doctor  was  slow  in  coming,  so  slow  that  in  the 


21 8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

meantime  Huber  had  become  delirious.  He  rook  his 
temperature,  looked  grave,  and  sent  a  halfbreed  servant 
away  to  soak  some  towels  and  rags  in  cold  water,  which 
when  she  returned  he  ordered  her  to  place  on  Ruber's 
head  and  change  every  few  minutes  for  fresh  ones.  There 
is  no  ice  in  Diamantino,  and  the  oUa  from  whicli  the 
water  had  been  poured  had  been  standing  all  the  afternoon 
in  the  sun,  consequently  it  was  not  cool  enough  to  suit  the 
physician.  He  gave  instructions  for  more  ollas  to  be 
filled,  and  as  night  had  come  on,  to  be  left  on  the  ])orch  in 
front  of  the  room  in  which  the  patient  lay. 

When  the  doctor  came  out,  he  sat  on  the  bench  between 
the  mayor  and  me,  and  informed  us  that  Huber  had  a  sun- 
stroke, and  that  it  was  doubtful  if  he  would  live.  "Any- 
how,"  he  said,  "if  he  recovers,  he  will  have  to  remain 
here  for  weeks  before  he  is  well.  He  shouldn't  have 
come  here  in  the  first  place.  My  opinion  is  that  he 
won't  survive  twenty-four  hours  longer."  I  returned 
to  the  botequim  where  I  lodged  for  dinner,  although  the 
mayor  was  insistent  that  I  should  dine  with  him.  I 
excused  myself ;  saying  that  I  had  things  to  attend  to  and 
that  I  would  return  later  on  to  see  how  Huber  was  getting 
on.  "He  will  get  on  all  right  if  human  agencies  can  help, 
but  in  this  case  they  are  of  little  avail.  I  have  seen  such 
cases  before,"  were  his  parting  words  to  me,  as  I  turned 
up  the  moonlit  street  towards  the  middle  of  the  town 
from  which  shouts  and  ribald  laughter  emanating  from 
the  drunken  rubl)er  nien  were  audible  in  the  otherwise 
sleepy  town. 

At  the  botequim  where  I  roomed  there  was  an  orgy 
going  on.  Most  of  the  rubber  men  were  soused  and  our 
two  guides  were  rapidly  filling  up.  Rum,  gin,  and  brandy 
were  spilled  all  over  the  room,  on  the  tables,  on  the  chairs, 
and  on  the  floor.     A  couple  of  bums  lay  in  a  corner  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   219 

room  and  one  on  a  soap  box,  his  feet  dangling  over  it 
into  space.  The  brutal -appearing  ruffian  who  was  the 
landlord  was  his  own  best  customer  yet  he  was  intent 
enough  on  business  to  charge  two  prices,  one  to  the  badly 
drunk  individuals,  and  a  cheaper  one  to  those  in  a  lesser 
maudlin  state.  I  was  hungry  but  as  it  was  impossible 
to  eat  in  this  barroom,  in  which  on  other  occasions  meals 
were  served,  I  repaired  to  the  shed  which  served  as  a 
kitchen  and  asked  if  anything  to  eat  could  be  had.  Two 
slatternly  half  breed  female  servants  informed  me  that 
in  a  few  minutes  dinner  would  be  served.  I  waited  for 
over  half  an  hour  and  was  so  impatient  with  hunger  that  I 
was  at  my  wits'  end,  when  the  youngest  of  the  two  ap- 
proached me  and  whispered  that  the  proprietor  had  the 
keys  to  the  storeroom  in  his  pocket  and  that  he  would 
beat  her  if  she  disturbed  him.  Disgusted  I  set  out  to  buy 
some  canned  goods  to  sup  on  at  one  of  the  stores  which 
combine  the  selling  of  groceries  with  that  of  light  hardware 
and  dry  goods,  when  I  felt  a  pull  at  my  sleeve  and  looking 
around  saw  the  same  halfbreed  standing  there  as  if  she 
had  something  to  tell  me. 

' '  I  hope  the  senhor  does  not  want  me  to  sleep  with  him 
to-night,"  she  whispered  to  my  great  astonishment; 
"  Manoel  is  here  from  the  rubber  country,  and  if  he  finds  it 
out  he  will  kill  me.  Manoel  is  my  fellow  and  he  is  crazy 
jealous  over  me. " 

This  was  the  first  time  that  I  was  apprised  of  the  fact 
that  the  custom  of  Bohemia  was  likewise  prevalent  in 
Matto  Grosso. 

For  an  exorbitant  price,  I  bought  two  cans  of  saJmon 
which  I  washed  down  with  a  bottle  of  warm  beer.  I  had 
been  counting  for  the  past  three  days  on  a  square  meal 
at  Diamantino.  I  returned  to  the  mayor's  house  and 
found  that  Huber  had  steadily  become  worse,  and  at  times 


2  20  Journeys  and  Experiences 

was  so  violent  that  he  had  to  be  held  down  on  the  bed. 
Late  that  night  he  took  a  turn  to  the  better,  so  the  doctor 
said,  which  lasted  about  seven  hours.  About  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  steadily  grew  worse  and  at  eight-thirty 
died  in  the  presence  of  the  mayor,  his  family,  the  doctor, 
the  priest,  one  of  the  guides,  and  myself.  He  had  only 
been  sick  twenty  hours.  Although  the  mayor  had  said 
he  had  seen  cases  of  sunstroke  before,  I  had  never  seen 
one    in    the    tropics.     Moreover    as    sunstroke    is    most 


House  in  Diamantino  where  Huber  Died 


frequent  in  the  first  hours  after  sunrise  and  in  those 
preceding  sundown,  it  must  have  been  that  he  was  exposed 
in  the  morning  of  the  day  before,  even  before  we  reached 
the  pool,  for  it  was  then  that  the  hot  rays  shone  on  his 
head. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  day  on 
which  he  died.  Ruber's  lich  was  interred  in  the  gruesome 
cemetery  of  plain  black  crosses  on  the  hillside,  a  mile 
beyond  the  town,  I  officiating  by  throwing  the  last  few 
shovelfuls  of  dirt  on  his  eternal  resting  place.  The  town 
authorities  took  charge  of  his  possessions  and  notified 
his  employers  who  knew  the  address  of  his  relations  in 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   221 

Stettin.  The  mayor  would  accept  no  pay,  but  expressed 
the  desire  that  he  would  like  Ruber's  revolver,  belt,  and 
cartridges.  I  could  not  very  well  refuse  seeing  that  he 
and  the  officials  already  had  possession  of  all  the  deceased 
man's  articles;  I  would  not  have  refused  anyway  on 
account  of  the  courtesy  he  showed.  I  paid  the  doctor 
and  the  priest,  but  I  also  have  no  doubt  that  they  got 
their  share  for  their  services  from  the  money  that  Huber 
had  in  a  wallet  as  well.  I  stayed  that  night  at  the 
mayor's  house,  but  the  morbidity  of  the  affair  depressed 
me  so  much  that  I  left  Diamantino  early  the  following 
morning  for  my  return  trip,  being  accompanied  by  Ruber's 
guide  as  well  as  my  own  to  Cuyaba.  I  saved  a  day  by 
traveling  the  regular  track  and  leaving  the  source  of  the 
Paraguay  River  a  .six  hours'  ride  to  the  east.  I  stopped  a 
day  at  Cuyaba,  another  one  at  Corumba,  and  three  weeks 
later  left  Asuncion. 

Four  passenger  steamers  of  the  Mihanovich  line  now 
ply  weekly  between  Asuncion  and  Buenos  Aires.  They 
are  the  Bruselas,  the  Benin,  and  the  two  smaller  ships,  the 
Lambary  and  the  Guarany.  The  downstream  trip  takes 
over  three  days.  I  left  Asuncion  a  Sunday  morning  on 
the  Bruselas.  The  scenery  is  intensely  tropical,  but  after 
the  first  few  miles  flat.  On  the  left  bank  soon  after  leav- 
ing Asuncion  are  passed  the  tumulus  of  Tucumbu  and 
the  conical-shaped  hill,  Lambary,  the  latter  a  landmark. 
Soon  on  the  right  we  reached  the  Argentine  frontier  post 
of  Pilcomayo,  on  the  long  and  narrow  river  of  that  name. 
It  rises  in  the  high  and  bleak  plateau  of  Bolivia  and  flows 
through  the  Gran  Chaco,  where  for  a  long  space  it  loses 
itself  in  the  marshes  only  to  reappear  broader,  lower  down. 
From  now  on  we  have  Paraguay  on  the  left  and  the 
Argentine  territory  of  Formosa  on  the  right.  The  only 
stops  of  any  importance  the  first  day  are  Villeta,  Formosa, 


222  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Villa  Oliva,  Villa  del  Pilar,  and  Humaita.  All  are  Para- 
guayan, except  Formosa  which  is  the  capital  of  the  Argen- 
tine territory  of  the  same  name.  At  Villeta,  small  boats 
laden  with  cigars,  plants,  and  fruits  are  rowed  out  to  the 
steamers,  and  the  leprous  hags  to  whom  these  mixed 
cargoes  belong  drive  bargains  witli  the  sailors,  who  are 
crazy  to  buy  pineapples.  Before  reaching  Villa  Oliva, 
a  palmetto  swamp  is  passed  on  the  Paraguayan  side  which 
stretches  backward  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  Villa  del 
Pilar  is  the  most  important  Paraguayan  town  stopped  at. 
A  railroad  track  on  which  are  flat  cars  drawn  by  horses 
leads  from  the  town  to  the  dock;  these  cars  are  usually 
laden  with  tobacco  leaf  to  be  exported  to  Buenos  Aires. 
A  crowd  was  at  the  dock  and  it  much  resembled  the 
crowds  seen  on  the  docks  of  the  Great  Lakes  ports,  with 
the  exception  that  among  its  members  were  sportily 
attired  youths  with  high  collars,  roaring  ties,  Panama 
hats,  and  patent-leather  shoes.  It  was  ludicrous  to  see 
such  people  in  such  out-of-the-way  places. 

On  the  second  day  out,  the  broad  Parana  River  is  en- 
tered; the  water  unlike  the  blue  Paraguay  is  muddy,  and 
it  is  so  wide  that  it  is  much  like  an  inland  sea.  Numerous 
islands  are  passed.  The  shores  on  the  Correntine  side 
are  high  and  there  is  no  luxuriance  of  vegetation  like  in 
Paraguay,  which  republic  was  left  behind  when  the  Parana 
was  entered.  The  aspect  is  drier  and  the  vast  plains 
extend  back  to  the  eastern  horizon.  The  Chaco  and 
Santa  Fe  side  is  a  vast  wilderness  of  cane  and  brush.  The 
city  of  Corrientes,  famous  for  internecine  strife,  and  the 
birthplace  of  Sergeant  Cabral,  a  hero  of  the  War  of  the 
Liberation,  was  reached  in  the  earh"  hours  of  the  morning 
of  the  second  day.  The  rocks  in  the  quiet  water  of  the 
roadstead,  overhung  with  trees  above  which  appeared 
church  steeples  and  the  domes  of  the  government  build- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    223 

ings,  made  a  fine  picture.  Soon  after  leaving  Corrientes 
the  boat  anchored  at  Barranqueras,  the  port  for  Resis- 
tencia,  capital  of  the  territory  of  Chaco,  and  at  nightfall 
in  a  pouring  rain  it  anchored  again  off  Puerto  Goya,  from 
which  a  railroad  runs  to  Goya  and  to  San  Diego.  On 
the  third  day  the  boat  stopped  in  the  morning  at  the  an- 
cient capital  of  Argentina,  Parana,  built  high  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  and  at  night  at  Rosario.  Buenos  Aires 
was  reached  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day. 

Another  line  of  steamships  plies  also  between  Asuncion 
and  Buenos  Aires,  that  named  the  Empresa  Domingo 
Barthe,  but  the  Mihanovich  Line  is  the  best.  Domingo 
Barthe,  the  controller  of  the  rival  line,  is  a  French  adven- 
turer who  made  a  fortune  in  Argentina  and  in  Paraguay. 
He  acquired  a  large  verba  mate  concession  from  the  Para- 
guayan government  which  has  made  him  rich.  The  trade- 
mark of  the  tea  from  his  yerbales  bears  the  name  Asuncion. 
Another  large  firm  competed  with  him,  putting  out  yerba 
mate  with  a  different  trademark.  Barthe  then  had  some 
of  his  tea  put  up  in  similar  packages  to  theirs,  and  stealing 
their  trademark  had  it  sold  widely  in  Argentina  under 
their  name.  The  rival  company  brought  suit  against 
Barthe  which  went  against  him.  A  heavy  fine  was 
imposed  upon  him  with  the  alternative  of  a  year  in  jail. 
Barthe  neither  paid  the  fine  nor  went  to  jail.  He  has 
simply  kept  out  of  Argentina.  Nevertheless  Barthe 
is  a  man  who  has  done  a  lot  for  Argentina,  and  the  court 
may  have  in  view  of  this  fact  been  too  stiff  with  him; 
anyhow  that  is  what  the  public  thinks.  Not  only  has 
Barthe  been  the  means  of  facilitating  transportation 
between  these  two  countries  but  he  has  opened  much 
of  the  waste  lands  of  the  territory  of  Misiones  and  put 
them  under  production,  besides  being  in  a  large  way  re- 
sponsible for  the  growth  of  Posadas,  his  home  town. 


2  24  Journeys  and  Experiences 

It  is  pleasant  to  make  the  return  trip  to  Buenos  Aires 
from  Asuncion  by  water  after  having  seen  the  fields  of 
Entre  Rios  and  Corrientes  from  the  car  window.  The 
stud}'  of  faces,  the  stops  at  the  small  towns,  the  unloading 
and  loading  of  cargo  make  the  river  trip  extremely  interest- 
ing. The  cargo  of  the  passenger  boats  is  worth  inspection 
but  the  odor  of  the  poultry  and  of  the  parrot  cages  is 
nauseating.  The  main  deck  becomes  a  storage  room  for 
sacks  of  yerba  mate,  the  vile  tea  that  the  Argentine  na- 
tives are  crazy  about.  Much  of  this  on  passenger  boats 
goes  to  Goya  for  consumption  by  the  poor  chinos,  as  the 
civilized  Indians  and  halfbreeds  of  the  Correntine  hinter- 
land as  well  as  in  the  rest  of  the  republic  are  called.  The 
freight  boats  handle  the  Buenos  Aires  and  Rosario  supply. 
Besides  the  mate  there  are  numerous  pails,  tin  cans,  and 
molasses  tins  filled  with  plants  from  Matto  Grosso  and 
the  Paraguayan  Chaco,  mild-eyed  deer  for  the  museum 
at  La  Plata,  mangy  sarias,  martinets  in  cages,  a  bedlam  of 
parrots,  and  bottles  of  home-made  cana,  which  gives  the 
imbibers  murderous  intentions. 

I  sat  between  two  Spaniards  at  the  dining  room  table. 
One  had  become  involved  in  a  domestic  scandal,  the  day 
before  we  left  Asuncion,  and  the  wronged  husband  was 
looking  for  him  with  a  gun,  besides  having  invoked  the 
aid  of  the  police  to  find  him.  The  foxy  Spaniard,  a  middle- 
aged  aristocrat,  escaped  across  the  river  to  Pilcomayo  at 
night,  and  as  there  is  no  extradition  treaty  with  Argentina, 
he  was  safe.  He  boarded  the  Bniselas  at  that  stop. 
Both  the  Spaniards  fell  to  discussing  the  charms  of  the 
various  lady  passengers  and  would  occasionally  ask  me 
my  opinion.  I  could  not  agree  with  them  as  they  would 
pick  out  some  fat  type  of  woman  and  exclaim:  "Que 
linda  mujer"  ("Oh,  what  a  beautiful  woman!").  1  was 
fascinated  by  the  looks  of  the  recently  married  Brazilian 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  225 

woman  who  with  her  groom  sat  across  the  table  from  us. 
She  was  of  that  dark  type  of  beauty  so  common  in  Matto 
Grosso  where  one  meets  women  of  dark  complexion,  black 
gorse-like  hair,  black  flashing  eyes,  with  strong  virile 
mouths  and  chins. 

In  South  America  it  is  not  considered  a  breach  of  table 
etiquette  to  be  continually  picking  one's  teeth  and  no 
sooner  did  the  meals  on  the  Briiselas  begin  than  the  snap- 
ping of  wooden  toothpicks  rent  the  air.  Some  of  the 
guests  were  ambidextrous  as  to  the  use  of  forks  and  knives, 
the  latter  especially;  they  would  shovel  so  much  food  into 
their  mouths  that  they  could  not  contain  it  all,  and  con- 
sequently goulash  would  drop  from  their  mouths  onto  the 
tablecloth.  One  young  barbarian,  when  passed  the  menu, 
kept  it,  and  instead  of  passing  it  on,  amused  himself  by 
reading  the  advertisements  on  the  reverse.  He  had  never 
seen  one  before. 


CHAPTER  IX 


SANTIAGO 


It  is  not  the  intention  of  the  writer  in  these  pages  to  go 
into  a  detailed  and  minute  historical,  geographical,  and 
statistical  description  of  Chile.  This  will  appear  in  a 
later  work.  Therefore  here  will  be  taken  up  only  those 
statistics,  political  conditions,  and  geography  that  the 
reader  should  digest  in  following  me  on  my  trips. 

The  Republic  of  Chile,  whose  total  length  of  2660  miles 
is  included  between  latitudes  18°  and  56°  south,  averages 
in  width  but  150  miles  which  is  the  territory  embraced 
between  the  summits  of  the  Andes  on  the  east  and  the 
Pacific  Ocean  on  the  west.  It  is  divided  into  twenty-four 
provinces  and  one  territory.  Each  of  these  provinces  is 
in  turn  divided  into  departments.  Each  of  the  provinces 
has  its  own  governor  and  each  has  its  own  representation 
in  the  national  government  at  Santiago.  Of  the  twenty- 
four  provinces,  fifteen  are  latitudinal,  stretching  the  whole 
width  of  the  country.  From  north  to  south  these  are 
Tacna,  Tarapaca,  Antofagasta,  Atacama,  Coquimbo, 
Choapa,  Aconcagua,  Santiago,  Colchagua,  Curico,  Talca, 
Concepcion,  Cautin,  Valdivia,  and  Llanquihue.  Four 
provinces  are  maritime,  Valparaiso,  Maule,  Arauco,  and 
Chiloe;  their  eastern  limits  are  defined  by  the  summits 
of  the  Coast  Range  and  do  not  extend  to  the  central  valley. 
Chiloe  is  an   archipelago.     In  the  littoral  provinces  the 

226 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 


-^/ 


climate  is  cooler  than  in  others  whose  latitude  is  farther 
south  owing  to  the  breezes  that  blow  from  the  Pacific. 
Four  provinces  are  Andean,  O'Higgins,  Linares,  Nuble, 
and  Bio-Bio.     These  extend  from  the  Argentine  frontier 

westward  to  the  central  valley 
but  in  no  part  do  they  ever 
reach  the  coast.  There  is  only 
one  interior  province,  Malleco; 
it  is  absolutely  surrounded  by 
other  provinces,  and  neither  ex- 
tends to  the  ocean  on  the  west 
nor  to  the  mountain  peaks  on 
the  east. 

From  Santiago  southward  350 
miles  to  the  Bio-Bio  River  there 
is  what  is  known  as  the  cen- 
tral valley;  here  in  the  cities, 
villages,  and  country  between 
the  Andes  and  the  Coast  Range 
live  two  thirds  of  the  entire 
population  of  the  republic.  Al- 
though this  central  valley  is 
but  one  long  valley  and  trav- 
ersing it  longitudinally  from 
Santiago  to  the  Bio-Bio  there 
is  no  marked  difference  in  ele- 
vation, yet  it  is  not  the  valley  of  one  single  river, 
nor  do  any  rivers  run  through  it  lengthwise 
as  do  the  San  Joaquin  and  the  Sacramento  in  Cali- 
fornia. This  valley  is  formed  by  the  valleys  of 
countless  small  rivers  which  cross  it  and  widening  out 
midway  between  their  sources  and  their  mouths  form 
one  large  valley  which  has  an  average  width  of  about 
sixty  miles.     The  geological  theory  is  that  in  the  pre- 


Diagram  Showing  Idea 
of  Central  Valley  of  Chile 
in  Relationship  to  the  An- 
des Mountains  and  the 
Coast  Range,  with  Course 
of  Streams 


228  Journeys  and  Experiences 

glacial  period  the  small  rivers  like  to-day  rushed  head- 
long from  the  Andes  into  the  ocean.  The  Coast  Range 
sprang  up,  but  the  rivers  worked  faster  than  the  moun- 
tains grew,  so  that  their  courses  were  not  altered,  and 
the  Coast  Range  instead  of  being  one  continuous  range 
of  mountains,  even  though  it  is  a  mountain  chain,  became 
bunches  of  land  islets,  separated  from  one  another  by 
streams. 

Of  the  thirteen  largest  cities  of  Chile,  only  four  are 
found  in  this  valley,  Santiago,  the  metropolis,  Talca, 
the  sixth  city  in  population,  Chilian,  the  seventh,  and 
Curico,  the  twelfth.  This  signifies  nothing  for  although 
less  than  one  third  of  the  large  towns  are  situated  here, 
yet  the  valley  teems  with  towns  that  have  between  1500 
and  4000  inhabitants.  The  central  valley  is  of  remark- 
able fertility,  but  although  the  soil  is  highly  productive, 
irrigation  is  resorted  to  for  it  seldom  rains  during  the 
summer  months.  In  the  winter  there  is  plenty  of  rain- 
fall. Owing  to  the  great  number  of  streams,  most  of 
which,  however,  are  unnavigable  and  all  of  which  rise  in 
the  Andes,  there  is  plenty  of  water  for  irrigation.  In 
their  course  to  the  ocean  they  bring  much  silt  which  gives 
them  a  muddy  color.  In  contrast  to  them  are  the  clear 
streatns  of  transparent  water  which  feed  them.  The 
latter  are  mostly  from  springs  in  the  foothills,  and  not 
having  to  cut  their  way  for  any  great  distance  carry  no 
silt.  The  products  of  the  central  valley  are  wine,  fruits, 
cereals,  and  stock.  A  Californian  whom  I  met  in  Santiago 
said  to  me:  "This  central  valley  of  Chile  reminds  me  of 
California,  but  it  is  more  productive,  and  in  a  much  more 
advanced  state  of  cultivation.  " 

Southern  Chile,  as  that  part  of  the  republic  south  of  the 
Bio-Bio  is  termed,  is  a  rolling  and  mountainous  land, 
originally  forested  and  still  vSO  in  some  sections.     The  alti- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  229 


tude  of  perpetual  snow  is  lower  here  than  farther  north, 
and  some  of  the  mountain  scenery  excels  that  of  Switzer- 
land.    It  has  an  abundance  of  rainfall  not  restricted  to 


Scenery,  Central  Valley  of  Chile 

seasons  so  irrigation  is  unnecessary.  The  country  is 
largely  devoted  to  the  growing  of  cereals,  especially  barley, 
and  to  dairy  farming.  The  climate,  never  too  warm  in 
summer,  is  in  winter  that  of  the  Central  States  of  the 
Union.  No  tropical  fruits  and  plants  grow  there,  but 
many  apples  are  grown.  The  farmers  are  mostly  Germans 
who  have  lived  there  for  three  generations  and  have  still 
retained  the  customs  of  the  fatherland. 


230  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Of  northern  Chile,  nothing  much  need  to  be  said. 
From  La  Serena  northward  it  is  one  large  sterile  tract  of 
land,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  river  valleys  where 
there  is  verdure  and  vegetation,  such  as  at  Tacna,  Copiapo, 
and  Vallenar.  It  is  one  large  desert  and  ranges  of  barren 
mountains  rising  to  a  great  height,  and  on  whose  lower 
slopes  on  plateaus  is  found  most  of  the  world's  nitrate  of 


Village  Scene,  Central  Chile 


sodium  supply.  In  the  higher  altitudes  are  borax  fields 
and  great  mineral  deposits  of  copper,  silver,  and  gold. 
The  coast  is  absolutely  rainless  and  water  is  unobtainable 
by  wells.  It  seldom  rains  even  in  the  interior.  The 
small  rivers  formed  by  the  melting  of  the  snow  on  high 
mountain  peaks  lose  themselves  in  the  sands  and  seldom 
reach  the  ocean.  Near  their  upper  reaches  water  is  piped 
from  them  to  the  coast  towns,  which  are  at  a  great  dis- 
tance. It  is  thus  that  Iquique,  Tocopilla,  and  the  thriving 
I)ort  of  Antofagasta  get  their  water  su])i:)]y. 

The  area  of  Chile  is  289,829  square  miles,  about  the  size 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  231 

of  the  States  of  Texas  and  Arkansas  combined,  but  the 
opposite  to  them  in  geographical  contour.  The  popu- 
lation December  31,  191 5.  was  3,641,477  or  12.57  inhabi- 
tants to  the  square  mile. 

Each  locality  in  Chile  is  famous  for  some  special  natural 
production  or  manufacture.  B^^words  denote  the  superi- 
ority of  one  article  over  others  of  a  like  species  such  as : 
Black  pottery  from  Chilian,  reed  baskets  from  Linares, 
beer  from  Valdivia,  marble  from  Valparaiso,  cider  and 
butter  from  Osorno,  figs  from  Huasco,  and  frutillas  from 
Puerto  Varas.  (Frutilla  is  the  name  given  to  a  diminutive 
and  highly  flavored  strawberry  that  grows  both  wild  and 
in  the  domestic  state.) 

Chile  has  a  system  of  longitudinal  railways,  nearly 
completed,  which  are  of  the  greatest  military  value. 
Nearly  two  thousand  miles  from  Puerto  Montt  in  the  south 
to  Tacna  in  the  north,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  stretch 
between  Pisagua  and  Arica,  are  open  to  traffic,  and  at  no 
place  do  they  touch  the  sea  excepting  at  Coquimbo  and 
their  terminals.  In  quick  time  troops  and  ammunition 
can  be  moved  to  any  part  of  the  republic.  There  are 
many  spurs  and  branch  lines  that  run  to  the  coast,  to  the 
mining  centers,  and  to  the  numerous  inland  towns.  Most 
of  the  railroads  are  broad  gauge ;  some  are  both  broad  and 
narrow;  others  are  narrow,  while  in  the  central  valley 
there  are  a  few  light  railways,  for  example  the  one  between 
Linares  and  Panimavida,  and  the  cooperative  railway  in 
the  Province  of  Nuble.  There  is  a  heavy  traffic  both 
in  freight  and  in  passengers,  but  sad  to  relate,  most 
of  the  railways  owned  by  the  government,  which  con- 
stitute the  majority,  are  run  at  a  loss.  This  is  caused  in 
a  great  measure  by  the  large  personnel  employed,  most 
of  whom  are  the  henchmen  of  the  politicians  in  power  in 
Santiago.     To  overcome  the  monetary  loss,  one  half  of 


2^,2  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  regular  number  of  trains  have  been  taken  off  from 
the  service  schedule  so  that  at  the  time  of  this  writing  one 
cannot  enjoy  a  ride  from  Santiago  to  Concepcion  on  an 
express  train  or  in  a  Pullman  car  as  previously.  The  only 
express  trains  are  those  that  run  between  Santiago  and 
Valparaiso  and  vice  versa.  Even  though  but  one  half  of 
the  trains  are  still  in  operation,  the  State  lines  are  still 
showing  a  deficit,  and  there  is  talk  of  leasing  them  to 
private  corporations.  The  cars  are  mostly  of  American 
manufacture  although  some  of  the  sleeping  cars  are 
English.  The  locomotives,  formerly  German,  are  now  for 
the  most  part  manufactured  in  Valparaiso.  The  narrow 
gauge  lines  in  the  north,  which  are  in  the  nitrate 
regions,  all  pay  for  they  are  of  private  ownership  and 
there  is  no  chance  of  giving  unnecessary  employment. 
The  Transandine  Railroad,  narrow  gauge,  which  formerly 
had  trains  running  thrice  a  week  from  Los  Andes  to 
Mendoza,  Argentina,  now  has  through  trains  only  once  a 
week,  and  the  trip  is  made  in  the  daytime  on  account  of 
dangerous  curves. 

There  is  but  little  manufacturing  in  Chile,  most  of  it 
being  centralized  in  Valparaiso.  The  great  drawback  is 
on  account  of  the  lack  of  iron;  some  of  this  mineral  has 
been  discovered  in  the  Province  of  Coquimbo,  and  I  un- 
derstand that  the  property  known  as  La  Higuera  is  on  a 
paying  basis.  There  is  plenty  of  coal,  the  mines  at  Lota 
being  the  largest,  but  it  is  of  an  inferior  quality.  Outside 
of  Valparaiso,  the  only  manufactures  of  importance  are 
those  of  beer  and  flour.  In  this  respect  the  manufactur- 
ing conditions  are  similar  to  those  of  Argentina.  Nearly 
every  small  town  in  the  grain  belt,  the  country  lying 
south  of  the  Bio-Bio,  has  its  flour  mills;  as  the  brewing 
business  is  in  the  hands  of  a  trust,  there  is  but  a  small 
op])Ortunity    in    this    field  unless   one   starts   with   con- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  233 

siderable  capital.  The  beer  trust,  capitalized  at  i8,- 
000,000  pesos  ($3,070,800)  paid  in,  includes  all  the  large 
breweries  in  Chile  excepting  two  firms,  that  of  Aubel  in 
Osorno  which  is  flourishing  as  an  independent  brewery 
and  that  of  Keller  which  has  two  breweries,  one  in 
Concepcion  and  the  other  in  Talca.  Those  belonging 
to  the  trust  are  the  United  Breweries  Company  in  Lim- 
ache-Cousiho,  the  Valdivia  Breweries  Company  in  Val- 


The  Valdivia  Breweries  Company,  Valdivia 

Fornierly  the  Anwandter  Brewery 

divia,  the  Andres  Ebner  Brewery  in  Santiago,  the  Calera 
Brewery  in  Calera,  and  the  Floto  Brewery  in  La  Serena, 
the  last  named  being  a  small  one.  Scattered  through 
Chile  are  a  good  number  of  independent  breweries  all  run 
on  a  small  scale  and  catering  only  to  local  trade  such  as 
Horstmann's  Brewery  in  Santiago,  a  brewery  in  San 
Felipe,  one  in  Chilian,  one  in  La  Union,  one  in  Puerto 
Montt,  and  two  in  Punta  Arenas.  Since  the  Anwandter 
firm  in  Valdivia  sold  out  to  the  trust  their  successors  brew 
a  much  better  beer  than  previously  was  brewed  there,  but 
I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  product  of  one  of  the  trust 


234  Journeys  and  Experiences 

breweries,  that  of  Calera,  is  vileness  incarnate.  Beer  is 
chea]^  in  Chile,  three  cents  buying  a  schui)er,  but  it  like- 
wise is  apt  to  go  to  the  head  and  make  the  imbiber  see 
double  lamp-posts.  The  German  residents  claim  that  it  is 
mild,  yet  I  have  seen  many  of  them  unable  to  pace  a  crack 
in  the  floor  after  imbibing  a  few  libations  of  it.  The 
saloons  in  Santiago  do  a  big  business  but  they  have  to 
pay  a  high  rent  which  cuts  into  their  profits. 

Regarding  the  inhabitants,  the  Chileno  is  called  the 
Yankee  of  South  America.  He  is  not  afraid  of  work, 
consequently  steamship  companies  like  to  employ  him, 
because  for  less  pay  he  will  do  more  work  than  any  person 
of  any  nationality  will  do,  including  North  Americans. 
He  is  the  only  native  south  of  Texas  who  if  hit  will  come 
back  at  his  aggressor.  In  behavior  he  is  apt  to  be  rough 
and  coarse  (this  does  not  apply  to  the  aristocracy),  but 
rarely  is  he  uncivil.  Many  Chilenos  ape  the  tonsorial 
adornment  of  a  man  who  died  in  the  year  33  A.D.,  but  I 
do  not  believe  their  actions  jibe  with  his  if  what  we  read 
in  history  is  true.  The  women  are  beautiful;  they  have 
no  comparison  anywhere  else  in  the  whole  world.  They 
have  dark  complexions,  are  finely  featured,  and  are  vol- 
uptuous. A  poor  figure  is  unknown  among  them.  If  a 
man  prefers  a  different  type  than  the  average  he  can  go  to 
southern  Chile  and  have  the  choice  of  a  dark  red-cheeked 
Araucanian  maiden  or  a  native  girl  of  German  extraction, 
whose  eyes  are  like  the  still  deep  water  of  a  pool,  and  whose 
cheeks  have  that  rosy  tinge  of  a  ripening  apple.  In  the 
railway  eating-house  in  Rancagua,  I  met  a  man  from 
Thomasville,  Georgia,  who  said  that  on  account  of  the 
looks  of  the  Chilean  women,  he  would  lose  his  religion  if 
he  remained  much  longer  in  the  country.  I  do  not  know 
what  his  religion  was,  but  their  beauty  is  enough  to  affect  a 
man's  head. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    235 

One  of  the  Chilean  mstitutions  that  bears  comment  is 
that  of  the  table  waiters  in  the  hotels  and  restaurants.  It 
needs  serious  improvement.  The  waiters  are  a  white- 
aproned,  moustached,  whiskered  set  who  go  after  and 
bring  back  food  on  the  run.  They  never  walk  and  vie  with 
one  another  to  make  the  most  noise  and  bring  their  feet 
down  heaviest  after  taking  orders.  The  waiter  takes 
your  order  on  the  run,  slams  the  food  in  front  of  you  on 
the  run,  takes  your  money  on  the  run,  accepts  his  tip  and 
thanks  you  on  the  run.  In  Euroj^e  and  in  the  United 
States,  these  actions  would  not  be  tolerated  in  a  first- 
class  cafe.  In  Chile,  however,  these  are  the  instructions 
given  to  the  waiters  when  they  seek  employment. 

In  the  larger  towns,  especially  in  Santiago  and  in 
Valparaiso,  there  is  a  great  illegitimacy  of  births  among 
the  lower  classes.  This  is  due  to  the  inconstant  actions  of 
the  men.  For  instance  a  poor  laborer  will  marry  a  girl 
and  live  with  her  several  years,  during  which  time  she  will 
become  the  mother  of  several  children.  The  husband  in 
the  meantime  finding  that  the  support  of  a  family  leaves 
him  with  no  pocket  money  to  indulge  in  his  jDeriodical 
debauches,  all  of  a  sudden,  without  saying  an}i;hing  to  his 
wife,  deserts  her  and  strikes  out  for  the  country  where  he 
obtains  employment.  He  rarely  comes  back.  The  poor 
wife,  left  destitute  with  several  offspring,  has  a  hard  time 
making  a  living.  Other  young  women,  cognizant  of  the 
fickle  actions  of  the  men,  prefer  living  with  them  outside 
of  wedlock,  for  if  the  man  deserts  her  a  woman  still  has  a 
chance  of  getting  married,  while  if  she  was  once  married,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  her  to  marry  again,  because  there 
is  no  divorce  law  in  Chile.  I  have  known  of  people  in  Chile 
who  desired  a  divorce  being  obliged  to  go  to  Uruguay  to 
live  as  I  understand  that  is  the  only  republic  in  South 
America  where  divorces  are  granted.     As  to  morals  I 


236  Journeys  and  Experiences 

imagine  Chile  is  no  worse  off  than  any  other  country, 
excepting  among  the  lower  element.  Speaking  of  them 
to  a  friend  of  mine,  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
Valparaiso  and  a  high  official  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company,  he  said :  "Among  the  lower  class  there  is 
but  little  distinction  betw^een  the  women  who  are  virtuous 
and  those  who  are  not.  The  former  are  always  on  the  qui 
vive  to  increase  their  income  providing  they  do  not  get 
caught  at  it." 

Among  this  stratum  the  Fiesta  of  the  Angelito  (Feast 
of  the  Little  Angel)  plays  an  important  role.  They 
maintain  that  if  a  child  dies  it  becomes  a  little  angel,  and 
many  of  the  poor  to  whom  the  expense  of  rearing  a  super- 
fluous child  is  a  burden  welcome  its  decease  although  they 
do  much  wailing  at  the  funeral.  They  welcome  it  for 
they  have  a  chance  to  make  some  money  and  also  indulge 
in  an  alcoholic  debauch.  When  the  child  dies  the  parents 
invite  all  their  friends  to  their  home.  Great  quantities 
of  cheap  wine  are  ordered  and  consumed.  Each  friend 
gives  as  much  money  as  he  can  afford  toward  the  burial 
expenses  and  towards  the  purchase  of  the  liquid  refresh- 
ments. A  drunken  orgy  lasting  all  night  takes  place. 
After  it  is  over  and  the  bod}^  is  buried,  the  parents  have 
money  left  over.  Owing  to  the  high  mortality  among 
infants,  on  account  of  neglect,  malnutrition,  and  ever  pre- 
sent typhoid  fever,  these  Fiestas  of  the  Angelito  are  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  every  neighborhood. 

Chile  is  the  only  country  in  South  America  which  has 
strict  prohibition  laws.  There  are  quite  a  few  localities 
that  are  "dry."  Saloons  are  closed  all  day  Sundays; 
bars  also  close  early  at  night.  The  penalties  for  breaking 
these  laws  are  heavy,  yet  in  no  other  country  in  South 
America,  with  the  exception  of  Peru,  is  there  as  much 
drunkenness  as  in   Chile,  and   all  these  other  countries 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  237 

have    no    ])rohil>ition    laws,    and    their    towns    are    wide 
open. 

The  reception  given  at  Santiago  to  the  occupants  of 
the  private  train  from  Buenos  Aires  bearing  the  special 
ambassadors  and  their  staff  to  the  installation  of  Chile's 
president  was  tremendous.  As  the  train  rolled  into  the 
great  and  high  vaulted  Mapocho  station  amid  the  fan- 
fare and  beating  of  drums,  martial  music  broke  out  and 
rent  the  air  with  the  national  march.  Great  sturdy, 
powerfully  built  blonde  officers,  helmeted,  in  their  full 
dress  uniforms,  exact  replicas  of  the  German  army  of  a 
decade  ago,  grouped  themselves  on  the  platform  to  greet 
the  guests.  Their  subordinates  stood  at  attention  until 
the  last  of  the  officers  who  had  boarded  the  train  at  Los 
Andes  left  the  train.  In  the  background  stood  sym- 
metrical rows  of  policemen  parting  a  human  aisle  down 
which  we  passed  to  the  vigorous  blasts  of  a  band.  Thou- 
sands of  people  cried  "Hurrah"  which  was  echoed  and 
reechoed  through  the  lofty  waiting  room  of  the  great 
building.  At  the  windows  and  on  the  street  behind  the 
iron  grating  of  the  train  shed  were  squeezed  myriads  of 
faces  endeavoring  to  catch  a  view  of  the  impressive  spec- 
tacle. At  the  curb  outside  the  station  doors,  to  where  the 
guests  had  already  advanced,  stood  dignified  statesmen  in 
Prince  Alberts  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  automobiles 
from  the  Ministries  of  Brazil  and  of  Argentina  which  were 
to  drive  the  envoys  of  those  two  respective  countries  away. 
Soon  several  limousines  arrived,  their  chauffeurs  decorated 
with  large  rosettes  of  green  and  yellow,  and  blue  and  white, 
the  symbolical  colors  of  those  two  large  South  American 
republics.  There  was  no  car  whose  driver  was  adorned 
with  red,  the  color  of  Portugal,  for  that  last-named 
country  has  no  minister  to  Chile  solely  (their  representa- 
tive to  Buenos  Aires  looks  after  the  affairs  of  Portuguese 


238      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

in  Chile),  so  little  Botelho  was  obliged  to  take  a  non- 
decorated  automobile  which  drove  him  and  de  Lima  to  the 
Hotel  Oddo,  to  which  place  Mr.  Alexander  and  myself 
also  went. 

The  military  pageant  which  continued  throughout  the 
ensuing  week  was  most  impressive.  The  Chilean  army, 
trained  by  German  officers,  and  their  navy  by  British 
officers,  are  always  preparedandon  the  alert  for  any  infringe- 
ments on  their  national  rights.  Chile  is  the  strongest 
fighting  power  in  South  America,  and  has  the  best  military 
organization.  Its  men  are  born  fighters  who  have  the 
advantage  of  superior  training.  The  whole  personnel  and 
equipment  of  their  army  can  undoubtedly  put  in  the  back- 
ground any  country  in  the  world  which  has  a  population 
double  that  of  Chile.  The  Brazilian  and  Argentine  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  taken  as  a  whole  show  up  mighty  poorly 
compared  to  those  of  Chile.  Here  we  have  a  reproduc- 
tion of  the  German  army  on  a  small  scale.  The  uniforms 
are  similar  to  those  that  Germany  had  before  the  latter 
country  adapted  the  gray  color.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  von  der  Goltz,  who  reorganized  the  Turkish  army 
at  the  time  of  the  Balkan  War,  had  been  once  loaned  by 
Germany  to  Chile  to  bring  its  army  to  a  state  of  efficiency. 

The  city  of  Santiago  is  compactly  and  massively  built 
within  the  small  area  which  constitutes  that  part  of  terrain 
included  within  the  city  limits.  The  streets  are  invari- 
ably straight,  forming  square  and  rectangular  blocks  of 
houses  whose  average  height  of  two  stories  forms  an  even 
sky  line.  Although  there  are  several  different  styles  of 
architecture  prevailing  in  the  residences,  the  old  Spanish 
type  predominating,  yet  there  is  a  great  and  unmistakable 
similarity  as  to  the  appearance  of  the  streets.  The  busi- 
ness section  is  a  direct  contradiction  to  the  residential 
part  in  so  far  that  it  is  modern  and  is  becoming  more  so. 


So    o^ 


239 


240     Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

Here  the  buildings  are  three  and  four  stories  in  height  and 
a  look  down  either  of  the  streets  that  are  named  Ahumada 
and  Estado  leaves  an  impression  of  Vienna  although  it  is 
a  concrete  instead  of  a  stone  one.  In  several  other  parts 
of  the  city  this  similarity  is  present  for  the  long  fronts  of 
divers  beneficial  societies  and  the  towers  of  churches  and 
convents  present  a  scene  very  much  like  that  of  the  Aus- 
trian capital. 

The  population  of  Santiago  is  slightly  over  four  hundred 
thousand.  The  growth  of  the  city  as  well  as  of  the  other 
towns  of  the  central  valley  is  imperceptible.  It  has  been 
this  way  for  ages.  There  is  little  immigration  to  Chile, 
and  that  which  does  come  in,  goes  either  to  the  northern 
or  southern  provinces  of  the  republic  where  labor  condi- 
tions are  better.  With  the  exception  of  the  business 
section,  Santiago  is  an  extremely  reserved,  conservative, 
and  quiet  old  place.  It  can  also  be  called  serious.  After 
nine  o'clock  at  night,  even  on  the  Ahumada,  all  is  quiet, 
a  pleasant  contrast  to  the  din  and  racket  of  Buenos  Aires, 
which  murders  the  darkness,  making  sleep  impossible. 
There  is  but  little  gayety  about  the  Chilean  metropolis; 
the  aristocracy  of  the  city,  which  can  boast  of  the  purest 
white  blood  of  any  American  capital,  form  a  society  into 
which  a  foreigner,  no  matter  how  prominent  his  antece- 
dents are,  is  seldom  admitted.  This  dignified  aristocracy 
constitute  the  brains  of  the  country  and  control  the 
politics.  Prominent  in  the  affairs  of  state,  finance,  and 
daily  doings  are  the  names  Vergara,  Edwards,  Sanfuentes, 
Subercaseaux,  Sotomayor,  Balmaceda,  Montt,  Tocornal, 
and  Luco.  Their  mansions,  the  pride  of  Chile,  are  not 
located  on  show  places  like  the  Alameda  or  in  what  we 
would  call  the  fashionable  suburbs,  but  are  situated  on 
those  downtown  streets  which  fringe  the  business  section. 
Their  stateliness  seems  to  exhale   an   air  of  their  own. 


o 


24.1 


242     Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

Excepting  Buenos  Aires  no  South  American  city  has  as 
fine  a  collection  of  private  residences. 

The  Avenida  de  las  Delicias,  called  the  Alameda,  runs 
east  and  west,  and  divides  Santiago  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts.  The  quarter  of  the  city  lying  north  of  it  is 
the  mercantile  part,  while  that  south  of  it  is  the  residential 


Alarneda,  Santiago 


district.  This  broad  avenue,  which  inside  the  city  limits 
is  two  miles  long,  is  in  some  places  at  least  one  hundred 
yards  wide.  Its  center  is  a  broad  unpaved  parkway, 
bordered  by  ancient  trees;  its  hard  dirt  walks  constitute 
the  rambla  of  the  inhabitants  evenings.  At  short  inter- 
vals are  statues,  some  of  them  being  very  fine.  Vendors  of 
cigars,  cakes,  soft  drinks,  and  magazines  have  established 
booths  here,  and  it  is  a  very  common  sight  to  see  men 
freezing  ice  cream  under  the  trees.    The  benches  are  of 


243 


244  Journeys  and  Experiences 

concrete  and  are  plastered  over;  when  a  person  with  a  dark 
suit  sits  on  one  of  them  he  generally  departs  with  a  white 
daub  on  the  seat  of  his  trousers.  Along  both  sides  of  the 
parkway  are  wide  carriage  roads,  the  paving  of  which  is 


Modern  Residence  on  the  Alameda,  Santiago 


full  of  holes  and  ruts,  making  driving  uncomfortable.  On 
the  whole  the  Alameda  falls  short  of  what  can  be  called 
beautiful  for  although  it  is  flanked  by  some  very  handsome 
residences  yet  between  them  are  sandwiched  many  sec- 
ond-class shops.  This  avenue  is  essential  for  Santiago  for 
it  affords  a  breathing  space  for  the  overpopulated  city  as 
the  parks  are  quite  a  distance  from  downtown  and  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  245 

Plaza  de  Armas  is  nearly  always  crowded  during  the  heat 
of  the  day.     At  the  western  city  limits  where  the  name  of 


Calle  Ejercito  Liberador,  Santiago 

This  is  one  of  the  main  residence  streets.     The  residence  on  the  right  is  that  of  Don 

Luis  Tocornal 


the  Alameda  changes  from  that  of  Avenida  de  las  Delicias 
toAvenida  Latorreisthe  large  glass-roofed  train  shed  and 
station  of  Alameda,  the  principal  one  of  Santiago,  whence 
all  passengers  for  southern  Chile  depart.  Near  the  east- 
ern city  limits  the  Alameda  becomes  the  Avenida  de  la 
Providencia.     It  here  reaches  the  muddy  Mapocho  River, 


246      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

whose  southern  bank  it  skirts,  and  continuing  into  the 
country  enters  the  defile  of  its  headwaters. 

One  of  the  most  curious  freaks  to  be  found  an^^where  is 
the  Cerro  de  Santa  Lucia  which  rises  abruptly  about  two 
hundred  feet  from  the  very  center  of  the  plain  on  which 
Santiago  stands,  and  is  well  within  the  city  limits.  This 
hill  has  been  created  into  a  beautiful  park  with  every 
imaginable  species  of  native  tree,  and  has  within  its  con- 
fines grottoes,  groups  of  rocks,  lookout  towers,  and  statues, 
those  of  Caupolican  and  of  Valdivia  being  the  best.  No 
stranger  to  Santiago  should  fail  to  walk  to  its  summit, 
especially  at  evening  when  the  sun  casts  its  rays  on  the 
high  Andes  in  the  background.  There  is  a  small  admission 
fee  to  be  paid  on  entering  the  park  at  the  Cerro  de  Santa 
Lucia,  but  it  is  well  worth  it.  On  the  hill  is  a  restaurant 
cafe  which  is  popular  with  the  public  on  summer  nights, 
for  on  its  terrace  one  can  take  meals  out-of-doors. 

I  was  specially  fortunate  in  being  able  to  see  the  cere- 
monies pertaining  to  the  installation  of  the  new  President, 
Seiior  Don  Juan  Luis  Sanfuentes,  having  obtained  an 
excellent  seat  through  the  kindness  of  the  American 
Ambassador,  Honorable  Henry  Prather  Fletcher.  I  ac- 
quired a  reserved  seat  in  the  Capitol  in  close  proximity 
to  the  whole  proceedings.  There  is  no  inauguration  like 
in  Washington.  In  a  lofty  rectangular  hall  of  the  Capi- 
tol, called  the  Camara  de  Diputados,  there  are  arranged, 
on  both  sides  of  a  carpeted  open  space,  seats  in  order, 
which  during  the  sessions  of  Congress  are  occupied  by 
deputies.  These  seats  on  December  23,  1915,  were  oc- 
cupied by  their  proper  holders.  In  seats  of  honor  near 
the  west  end  of  the  hall  sat  the  ambassadors,  ministers, 
and  attaches  of  the  foreign  powers.  At  the  extreme  west 
end  was  a  platform  with  several  arm-chairs.  On  all  four 
sides  of  this  high  room  rose  balconies,  those  on  the  north 


241 


248  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  south  having  two  tiers  while  those  on  the  east  and 
west  had  one  tier.  They  were  packed  to  overcrowding  with 
the  invited  guests  of  the  deputies  and  statesmen,  many 
of  the  occupants  of  the  seats  being  ladies.  At  two  o'clock 
sharp  there  was  a  sudden  hush  to  the  conversations  of  those 
present.     The  ranks  at  the  north  door  stood  aside,  and 


President  Don  Juan  Luis  Sanfuentes  of  Chile  with  Cabinet 


through  their  opening  tottered  the  aged  Ramon  Barros 
Luco  in  dress  suit,  the  red,  white,  and  blue  tricolor  of  Chile 
fastened  obliquely  on  his  white  stiff  bosomed  shirt.  The 
applause  was  great.  Following  quickly  in  his  footsteps 
came  several  members  of  his  cabinet ;  all  crossed  the  car- 
peted room  and  seated  themselves  on  the  platform. 

The  applause  started  again  and  amidst  yells,  cheers, 
and  the  stamping  of  hundreds  of  feet  there  came  through 
the  again  opened  ranks  of  the  crowd  at  the  north  door  a 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  249 

large,  stout,  red-faced  man  i)ast  middle  age  with  gray  hair 
and  moustache  of  the  same  color,  Don  Juan  Luis  Sanfuen- 


Monument  of  Don  Pedro  Montt,  Cementerio  Jeneral,  Santiago 


tes,  followed  by  his  new  cabinet,  a  mitered  archbishop  in 
robes  of  purple  and  red,  and  several  purple-robed  bishops. 
Sanfuentes  took  his  seat  on  the  platform  to  the  right  of 
Luco.  Two  short  speeches  were  made  by  statesmen; 
Luco  then  rose  and  taking  off  his  tricolor  handed  it  to 
Sanfuentes  who  pinned  it  on  himself  and  changed  seats 


250      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

with  the  former  President.  Thus  at  this  transmission  of 
command  which  takes  the  place  of  our  presidential 
inauguration,  Sanfuentes  became  President  of  Chile;  his 
term  does  not  expire  until  December  23,  1920.  The 
whole  ceremony  lasted  less  than  twenty  minutes. 

From  the  Capitol  the  procession  went  to  the  cathedral 
where  the  archbishop  held  mass  and  delivered  his  blessing, 
for  Chile  is  still  allied  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
There  was  a  great  street  parade  after  this  ceremony.  I 
viewed  it  from  a  balcony  on  the  Ahumada  down  which 
street  it  marched.  It  was  really  very  good.  Helmeted 
German  officers  galloped  back  and  forth  giving  orders, 
while  a  cordon  of  blue-jacketed,  white-trousered  police- 
men held  the  sidewalk  mob  back  by  means  of  ropes 
strung  lengthwise  the  whole  block.  No  procession  ever 
lacks  something  of  the  ridiculous.  It  was  in  evidence 
this  day.  Scarcely  had  the  presidential  victoria  passed 
when  a  limousine  automobile  containing  high  officials 
appeared.  To  its  running  board  clung  a  large,  middle- 
aged,  drunken  monk,  his  black  and  white  garments  tied 
together  by  a  cord,  flowing  in  the  breeze.  This  hideous 
spectacle  had  reached  a  spot  underneath  the  balcony 
where  I  was  standing,  when  a  dignified  man  wearing  a  silk 
hat  stepi^ed  from  the  crowd  and  grabbed  the  inebriated 
fool,  dragging  him  from  the  running  board.  A  good-sized 
crowd  hissed  the  monk  as  with  staggering  steps  he  betook 
himself  to  the  sidelines. 

With  the  exception  of  two  military  j^arades  which  I  Iiad 
previously  seen  in  Europe,  that  which  took  place  at  6  p.m. 
the  next  day  at  the  Parquc  Cousiho  in  front  of  the  tem- 
])orary  grandstand  and  which  was  reviewed  by  the  Presi- 
dent was  the  finest  that  I  had  ever  witnessed.  Picture  to 
yourself  a  large  hard  dirt  oval  parade  ground,  half  a  mile 
long  by  nearly  as  wide;  imagine  this  oval  to  be  bristling 


9.      bfl 
1-1     c 

^    2 


251 


-'0- 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


with  the  lances  of  cavalry  and  glittering  with  the  bright 
Hght  of  polished  weapons.  Picture  in  the  foreground  a 
small  grandstand  of  lumber  draped  with  the  red,  white, 
and  blue  Chilean  fiags;  imagine  this  grandstand  filled  with 


Cathedral  Street,  Santiago 

This  view  is  looking  west  from  the  Plaza  de  Armas.  The  edifice  with  the  twin  towers 
is  the  cathedral;  that  in  the  immediate  foreground  on  the  right  is  the  city  hall;  the  build- 
ing beyond  it  with  the  clock  tower  is  the  post  office. 


beautiful  ladies  in  gowns  of  the  latest  creations,  whiskered 
gentlemen  in  silk  hats,  and  army  officers  in  full  dress  uni- 
form. Behind  this  scene  imagine  a  forest  of  pine  and 
eucalyptus  above  whose  dark  green  crests  tower  high 
brown,  barren,  snow-capped  mountains.  This  is  the 
scene  that  unfolded  itself  to  the  spectator  of  that  mem- 
orable military  review. 

Long   before  the   President  drove  up   in   his  victoria, 
the    buzzing    of    airships    caused    one    to    look    up    and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  253 

there  at  a  height  of  two  thousand  feet  five  of  these 
mechanical  birds  were  disporting  themselves.  All  hats 
came  off,  and  there  was  a  great  clap])ing  of  hands  when 
Sanfuentes  arrived.  He  drove  twice  around  the  parade 
ground  and  finally  stopped  in  front  of  the  grandstand. 
First  came  in  review  before  him  four  companies  of  the 
military  school  in  uniform  of  light  blue  coats  with  white 
trousers  and  white  horsehair  high  hats;  next  came  in- 
numerable infantry  companies  each  preceded  by  a  brass 
band  which  stood  to  one  side  as  the  columns  marched  by. 
The  infantry  was  followed  by  the  artillery'  which  came 
by  at  a  gallop,  smothering  the  field  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 
This  and  the  cavalry  which  followed  seemed  to  be  the  most 
admired  by  the  spectators,  judging  from  the  cheers  which 
greeted  them. 

I  wish  to  state  that  in  the  choice  of  Honorable  Henry 
Prather  Fletcher,  who  at  the  time  of  this  writing  is  United 
States  Ambassador  to  Mexico,  he  having  left  Chile  in 
191 6,  our  government  should  be  credited  with  having  made 
such  an  admirable  selection.  He  is  as  fine  a  representative 
of  man  as  exists  in  the  diplomatic  service  of  any  country. 
When  I  was  in  Chile  in  1912,  a  certain  gossiping  old  woman, 
the  daughter  of  one  of  Chile's  former  presidents,  knocked 
him  to  me,  and  I  being  a  stranger  was  fool  enough  to 
believe  her.  At  my  first  meeting  with  Mr.  Fletcher  in 
December,  191 5,  I  at  once  saw  what  caliber  of  man  he  is, 
and  have  felt  like  kicking  myself  ever  since  for  believing 
Dona  Anna  Swinburne  dc  Jordan.  I  came  to  Santiago  in 
191 5  absolutely  unknown  to  Mr.  Fletcher,  and  he  showed 
me  great  kindness  in  procuring  for  me  admission  to  the 
different  ceremonies  pertinent  to  the  installation  of  the  new 
President  besides  entertaining  me  at  his  own  residence. 

I  met  two  of  his  secretaries  to  the  embassy,  a  Mr. 
Martin,  who  seemed  to  be  a  fine  clean-cut  young  man,  and  a 


2  54  Journeys  and  Experiences 

fellow  named  Johnston  or  Johnson,  I  being  mixed  in  his 
surname  because  I  never  took  the  trouble  to  recall  it. 
This  Johnston  was  the  worst  snob  that  I  ever  recollect 
to  have  met.  While  I  was  at  the  embassy  in  the  presence 
of  Mr.  Fletcher  he  was  extremely  cordial  and  agreeable, 
and  even  invited  me  to  dine  with  him  at  his  club  to  which 
he  was  going  to  procure  me  a  card.  The  next  day  Mr. 
Henry  Alexander  of  Philadelphia  and  I  were  walking 
along  Bandera  Street  near  the  Capitol  when  we  happened 
accidentally  to  meet  Johnston  who  was  approaching  us 
from  the  direction  we  were  walking  in.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  Prince  Albert  and  a  high  silk  hat  crowned  his  tall,  slim 
figure.  We  greeted  him  but  he  returned  our  salutations 
with  the  curtest  imitation  of  a  nod  possible.  I  met  him 
a  dozen  times  afterwards  by  accident,  sometimes  on  the 
street  and  sometimes  at  the  Grand  Hotel  where  he  gener- 
ally dined  at  noon.  All  these  times  he  cut  me  dead  as  if 
he  had  never  seen  me  before.  Later  I  had  the  next  seat 
to  him  on  the  Pullman  car  on  a  train  but  he  did  not  deign 
to  recognize  my  presence,  even  though  he  had  been  most 
affable  in  his  treatment  of  me  while  I  was  a  guest  of  Mr. 
Fletcher. 

Santiago,  although  it  is  a  pleasant  and  agreeable  place 
with  a  most  benign  climate,  I  am  sorry  to  say  is  none  too 
clean  nor  are  its  streets  well  kept  up.  In  the  Alameda 
there  are  big  holes  in  the  asphalt,  and  the  cobblestones 
on  the  side  streets  are  uneven  and  out  of  place.  Many  of 
the  streets  are  not  paved.  There  are  holes  in  some  of  the 
sidewalks  where  a  pedestrian  is  apt  to  sprain  his  ankle, 
and  there  is  much  refuse  dirt  and  filth  accumulated  along 
the  curbs.  There  are  no  alleys  in  the  city  so  the  inhabi- 
tants deposit  the  swill  in  iron  pails.  The  garbage  man 
comes  along  with  his  wagon  every  morning  and  stopping 
in  front  of  every  house  rings  a  bell  to  let  the  inmates  know 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  255 

of  his  presence  so  that  they  can  bring  out  the  pails.  On 
the  poorer  Hghted  side  streets  inhabitants  perform  the  calls 
of  Nature  on  the  sidewalks,  in  the  middle  of  the  road, 
and  against  the  sides  of  the  buildings,  which  besides  being 
unsanitary  causes  hideous  stenches.  There  is  always  a  good 
complement  of  typhoid  fever  in  the  Chilean  and  Peruvian 
towns  so  while  on  my  visit  at  the  time  of  the  presidential 
installation  I  warned  my  servant,  O'Brien,  to  drink  min- 
eral water  instead  of  that  of  the  city  supply.  The  latter 
evidently  interpreted  other  drinks  in  the  clause  for  when 
I  came  to  settle  my  bill  at  the  Hotel  Oddo,  I  found  that 
he  had  run  up  a  considerable  wine  bill  which  necessitated 
me  to  dispense  with  his  services. 

The  stature  of  the  Santiaguinos  is  much  greater  than  that 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Buenos  Aires.  It  is  in  every  respect 
equal  to  the  North  American  standard.  The  prcfanum 
vulgiis  are  apt  to  be  rough,  showing  their  independence. 
One  observes  quite  a  few  red-haired  natives,  w^hich  de- 
notes that  in  the  course  of  genealogy  one  or  more  of  their 
maternal  ancestors  have  been  chased  by  Irishmen.  The 
women  outnumber  the  men  and  are  well  formed  and 
comely,  many  being  beautiful.  I  prefer  the  looks  of  the 
Chilenas  to  those  of  any  other  women  in  South  America. 
In  19 1 2  in  Santiago  there  were  but  few  Germans  and  the 
number  of  foreigners  was  exceedingly  small.  In  19 16 
the  city  was  teeming  with  Germans  and  they  outnum- 
bered all  the  other  foreigners  put  together.  In  Valparaiso 
in  19 1 5  the  English  and  German  residents  of  that  port 
had  a  street  fight.  The  tram  company  was  a  German 
syndicate  and  the  natives,  angered  by  the  car  fare  rates, 
which  they  thought  were  excessive,  sided  with  the  English 
and  rose  against  the  Teutonic  element.  A  riot  followed 
in  which  some  windows  were  broken  and  there  was  a 
certain    local    sentiment    against    the    Germans    which 


2S6 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


became  so  strong  that  it  caused  an  exodus  of  a  great  many 
of  them  to  Santiago.  Also  man}-  of  the  crews  of  the 
interned  German  merchantmen  left  their  ships  and  came 
to  Santiago  and  other  towns  of  the  interior  where  they 
have  established  themselves  in  business,  manv  of  them 


Mapocho  River  near  Santiago 


having  become  proprietors  of  hotels,  restaurants,  and  beer 
saloons.  They  have  prospered  and  have  taken  out  citi- 
zenship papers,  preferring  to  remain  in  Chile  than  in  their 
own  country. 

There  was  a  German  immigration  to  Chile  in  1848,  and 
another  one  in  1866.  Both  of  these  exoduses  were  due 
to  the  oppression  of  the  military  system  in  the  oM  country 
and  it  is  safe  to  surmise  that  there  will  be  another  such 
exodus  to  Chile  at  the  end  of  the  present  war.     I  have  read 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  257 

statements  that  one  quarter  of  Chile's  population  is  either 
German  or  of  direct  German  extraction.  This  seems  to  be 
an  exaggeration,  although  I  believe  that  one  fourth  of  the 
population  has  some  German  blood. 

The  Grand  Hotel,  which  is  on  Calle  Huerfanos,  not  far 
from  the  main  business  section  is  the  only  first-class  hotel 
in  Santiago.  It  is  owned  by  Emil  Kehle,  an  American. 
He  and  his  sister  have  the  Hotel  Royal  in  Valparaiso 
which  is  the  best  hotel  in  that  port.  This  Grand  Hotel 
which  is  comfortable  has  good  rooms,  and  board  and  is 
homelike  in  atmosphere.  I  liked  it  so  well  that  in  the 
spring  of  1916,  I  stopped  there  two  months.  The  Willard 
party,  which  was  the  family  of  our  ambassador  to  Spain, 
and  Kermit  Roosevelt,  arrived  in  Santiago  while  I  was 
there  and  likewise  stopped  at  Mr.  Kehle's  hostelry. 

On  my  trip  to  Santiago  in  191 5,  I  was  not  aware  that 
Mr.  Kehle  had  a  hotel  in  that  city,  so  I  went  to  the  Oddo 
where  I  had  previously  stayed  on  a  former  visit.  The 
rooms  in  the  Oddo  were  good  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
the  cuisine  and  dining  room  service  was  execrable.  Un- 
kempt and  unshaven  waiters  dropped  food  from  the  plat- 
ters onto  the  floor,  and  clumsily  running  to  serve  a  guest 
would  slip  in  the  spilled  soup  and  drop  plates  of  unsavory 
and  indescribable  edibles  to  the  din  of  broken  dishes. 
For  seventy  years  this  hotel  had  been  in  existence,  the 
last  twenty-five  of  them  under  the  proprietorship  of  the 
French  family  of  Girard.  The  bung-eyed  but  accommo- 
dating daughter  told  me  that  on  January  3,  1916,  this  hotel 
would  close  its  doors  for  good.  "We  are  returning  to 
France  to  live  as  we  have  worked  long  enough,  "  she  said. 
Yet,  however,  when  I  came  back  to  Santiago  in  March, 
1916,  they  hadn't  returned  to  France  and  the  Oddo  was 
still  running,  though  minus  its  dining  room.  The  other 
hotels  are  the  Milan,  well  spoken  of,  and  the  Melossi  near 
17 


258  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  Alameda  Station,  poorly  located  as  it  is  too  far  from 
the  center  of  activity. 

The  restaurants  are  fair,  that  named  the  Club  Santiago 
being  good.  The  Restaurant  Niza  is  fair.  It  is  owned 
by  a  Spaniard  who,  if  the  guest  does  not  understand  the 
local  name  of  the  meat  on  the  menu,  will  demonstrate  on 
his  own  fat  physiology  that  part  from  which  the  succulent 
morsel  is  taken.  There  is  a  good  restaurant  in  the  Palacio 
Urmaneta.  It  must  be  taken  under  consideration  that 
ladies  do  not  frequent  these  places  unaccompanied  for  no 
other  reason  solely  than  that  it  is  the  custom  of  the  coun- 
try. They  generally  take  their  meals  in  the  hotel  dining 
rooms. 

I  met  a  North  American  university  professor  in  wSanti- 
ago  who  was  always  kicking  because  he  did  not  know 
enough  Spanish  to  order  what  he  wanted  to  eat.  He 
was  stopping  at  the  Oddo  and  the  food  there  was  so  vile 
that  he  could  not  digest  it.  He  was  wishing  that  there 
was  an  American  hotel  in  the  city  and  this  being  in  1915, 
and  I  not  knowing  that  Mr.  Kehle  had  the  Grand  Hotel, 
knew  of  no  place  where  I  could  recommend  him  to  go. 
One  morning,  however,  he  burst  into  my  room  and 
proffering  me  a  card  told  me  to  read  it. 

"See  what  I've  got,"  he  cried  in  glee;  "a  nice-looking 
woman  handed  it  to  me  on  the  street." 

I  took  the  piece  of  pasteboard  that  he  so  eagerly  ex- 
tended to  me.  It  was  about  an  inch  long  and  half  as 
wide.  The  printed  inscription  on  it  read :  ' '  Pension  Norte 
Americana"  giving  street  name  and  number.  I  turned 
to  the  professor  and  said:  "It  reads.  North  American 
boarding-house  with  the  number  of  the  street." 

"Just  what  I  thought,"  he  said.  "It's  the  very  thing 
I  want.  I  certainly  would  like  to  be  among  my  fellow 
countrymen  again,  and  now  that  the  Oddo  is  closing  its 


In  xArgentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  259 

doors,  I  shall  go  there  at  once  and  inquire  about  the 
terms."  He  did,  and  immediately  upon  admittance  was 
pounced  upon  by  four  laiidies  of  pleasure. 

This  is  an  example  of  one  of  the  means  by  which  brothels 
are  touted  in  Santiago. 

The  Chilean  capital  is  a  rat  warren;  rodents  abound 
everywhere.  Most  of  the  buildings  being  adobe,  these 
animals  have  bored  holes  all  through  the  walls  and  have 
perforated  the  foundations.  I  do  not  believe  that  New 
Orleans  in  its  rattiest  days  ever  had  anywhere  near  such  a 
large  population  of  the  family  Murids  as  Santiago  at  the 
present  time  possesses.  Lying  in  bed  nights  one  is  kept 
awake  by  the  patter  of  their  little  feet  as  they  run  across 
the  corrugated  iron  roofs  mingled  with  their  sharp  squeals. 
Oftentimes  looking  out  of  the  window  at  night,  their  long 
tails  can  be  seen  silhouetted  in  the  moonlight  hanging  over 
the  window-tops. 

The  death  rate  of  Santiago  is  high,  excessively  so  in 
infantile  diseases  which  cause  the  largest  mortality  toll. 
The  rate  for  all  Chile  is  29.4  per  thousand  inhabitants, 
while  that  of  Santiago  alone  is  36.7.  Only  one  South 
American  city  of  which  any  record  is  kept  surpasses  it  in 
this  negligible  repect,  that  being  Lima,  Peru,  with  a  death 
rate  of  51  per  thousand  inhabitants.  Even  Guayaquil, 
notorious  for  yellow  fever  and  bubonic  plague,  has  a  better 
record  than  these  two  last-mentioned  cities,  which  have  no 
yellow  fever,  and  Santiago  minus  bubonic  plague.  Ty- 
phoid fever  is  always  prevalent  m  the  Chilean  capital,  but 
I  doubt  if  it  is  as  malignant  as  in  North  America,  on 
account  of  its  being  so  common.  This  large  death  rate  is 
mostly  among  the  lower  classes  who  are  ignorant  and  have 
no  knowledge  of  sanitation.  Longevity  is  more  common 
than  in  any  other  South  American  capital  with  the  possi- 
ble exception  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  which  is  testimony  that  if 


26o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

a  person  survives  childhood,  a  healthy  old  age  is  allotted 
him. 

The  cemetery  named  the  Cementerio  Jeneral  is  the  larg- 
est in  Christendom,  not  in  area  but  in  the  number  of  bod- 
ies interred.  It  is  exceeded  in  size  by  only  one  other 
cemetery  in  the  world,  that  one  being  the  Mohammedan 
cemetery  in  Scutari  in  Asia  across  the  Bosporus  from 
Constantinople.  In  fineness  of  its  monuments  it  is  only 
surpassed  by  the  Campo  wSanto  in  Genoa  and  the  Recoleta 
in  Buenos  Aires.  The  nature  of  the  Santiago  cemetery 
is  entirely  different  from  these  last-mentioned  two.  It  is 
not  a  rivalry  between  the  grave  lot  owners  who  shall  have 
the  most  expensive  allegorical  marble  sculpture  as  in 
Genoa,  but  is  a  vast  conglomeration  of  brick  tariibs, 
some  of  them  being  veritable  mausoleums.  Here  are 
buried  the  most  famous  families  of  Chile.  The  Chilenos 
make  a  great  deal  of  ceremony  about  their  dead.  A  poor 
family  will  stint  itself  for  years  to  accumulate  enough 
lucre  to  erect  a  proper  sepulchre.  It  will  spend  $10,000 
to  build  a  monument,  while  for  $1000  it  could  place  in  their 
dwelling  a  modern  sanitary  system,  which  when  installed 
would  do  away  with  the  cause  that  would  lead  the  person 
to  be  buried  beneath  the  monument.  This  cemetery  is 
divided  by  straight  walks  into  square  blocks;  at  the  inter- 
section of  each  of  these  walks  is  a  cross  or  a  fountain. 
Cedars,  pines,  eucalyptus,  cypresses,  boxwood,  and  other 
funereal  trees  abound;  there  are  also  beds  of  brilliant 
flowers.  The  tomb  of  ex-president  Don  Pedro  Montt  who 
died  in  Bremen,  August,  1910,  is  here;  it  is  a  tall  monolith 
with  a  glazed  green  and  brown  tile  frieze.  There  is  a 
morgue  near  the  left  entrance  to  the  cemetery  and  the 
stench  of  the  ripe  corpses  is  decidedly  odoriferous. 

About  ten  miles  northeast  of  Santiago  on  the  slopes  of 
the  Andes  are  the  springs  of  Apoquindo,  visited  much  by 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  261 

the  inhabitants  of  the  capital  Sunday  afternoons.  The 
trip  is  worth  while  making  once,  but  that  is  sufficient,  for 
the  poor  condition  of  the  country  roads  together  with 
the  dust  take  away  much  of  the  pleasure  of  the  drive. 
The  best  road  leads  through  the  city  of  Providencia,  which 


Street  in  Nunoa,  Chile 

adjoins  Santiago  on  the  east  and  which  is  so  much  like  a 
continuation  of  the  capital  that  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
without  looking  at  a  map  where  the  boundary  line  between 
the  two  cities  is.  At  the  Avenida  Pedro  de  Valdivia,  a 
broad  boulevard  on  which  are  magnificent  villas  and  the 
summer  homes  of  the  wealthy  Santiaguinos  one  turns 
to  the  right  and  keeps  straight  ahead  until  the  main  street 
of  Nunoa  is  reached.  Nunoa  is  a  town  of  nine  thousand 
inhabitants,  a  mixture  of  wealth  and  poverty  with  well 
shaded  streets,  poor  shops,  and  adobe  buildings. 


262      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

A  few  miles  beyond  Nunoa  is  a  roadhouse  named  the 
Quinta  Roma,  which  was  formerly  the  mansion  of  an 
estancicro  but  is  now  the  terminus  for  joj'-riders,  man}-  of 
whom  are  to  be  met  with  returning  to  the  capital  late 
afternoons  in  a  highly  hilarious  condition.  To  the  credit 
of  the  Chileno  joy-rider,  he  does  not  hit  up  the  great  speed 
of  his  North  American  brethren ;  thus  there  are  but  few 
automobile  accidents.  The  roadhouse  stands  in  a  garden 
of  flowers  well  back  from  the  thoroughfare  in  a  nicel}^  kept 
lawn.  Here  is  a  liquid  refreshment  dispensary  where  I 
have  seen  gay  youths  hoist  comely  maidens  uj^on  the  bar, 
and  seated  there  clink  glasses  with  their  standing  male 
affinities  whose  arms  encircle  their  waists  to  the  tune  of 
popping  corks  and  the  metallic  ring  of  beer  caps  as  the 
latter  fall  to  the  floor.  In  the  garden  behind  the  bar  is  a 
bamboo  thicket  planted  in  the  form  of  room  partitions. 
It  is  so  dense  that  no  peeker  can  look  through  its  foliage 
to  observe  the  love  affairs  being  enacted  in  these  natural 
chambers  which  correspond  to  the  European  "separees" 
or  the  so-called  "private  dining  rooms"  of  the  North 
American  roadhouses. 

At  Apoquindo  there  are  several  soda  springs  with  baths 
and  a  swimming  pool  all  of  which  are  kept  in  a  filthy 
condition.  Like  at  Cacheuta  and  at  Cauquenes  but  few 
people  come  to  take  the  baths  and  none  to  drink  the 
water.  Most  everybody  congregates  at  the  bar  in  the 
hotel  across  the  street — the  baths  are  but  the  name  of  an 
excuse. 


CHAPTER  X 

BATHS    OF    CAUQUENES        CHILOE    ISLAND.       LAKE    NAHUEL 

HUAPI 

In  Lady  Anne  Brassey's  nonpareil  book,  Around  the 
World  in  the  Yacht  Sunbecmi,  published  by  Henry  Holt  and 
Company,  New  York,  1882,  she  describes  on  pages  159- 
161  her  visit  to  the  Baths  of  Cauquenes  where  she  so- 
journed two  days,  October  23-25,  1876.  When  I  was  in 
Chile  in  1913,  I  never  heard  of  these  baths  and  returned 
home  ignorant  of  their  existence.  In  the  interim  I 
thoroughly  read  Lady  Brassey's  book  and  determined 
that  if  the  opportunity  ever  presented  itself  that  I  would 
likewise  visit  them.  Darwin  visited  them  in  1836. 
While  in  Santiago  in  191 5,  on  looking  at  a  map,  I  found 
that  there  was  a  city  named  Cauquenes  in  the  Province  of 
Maule  in  south-central  Chile,  it  being  the  provincial  capi- 
tal. I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  that  place,  when 
the  bung-eyed  girl  who  managed  the  Hotel  Oddo  showed 
me  my  error  and  informed  me  that  the  Cauquenes  I  was 
seeking,  was  not  a  great  distance  from  Santiago  and  was 
reached  by  train  from  Rancagua. 

One  morning  I  left  the  Alameda  Station  at  9.30  and 
two  hours  later  arrived  at  Rancagua.  The  ride  was 
through  a  fertile  country,  well  tilled  and  with  great  vine- 
yards. Only  two  towns  of  importance  were  passed, 
San  Bernardo  with  8269  inhabitants  which  also  has  street- 

26r, 


264  Journeys  and  Experiences 

car  connection  with  Santiago  and  Buin  whose  population 
is  2713  inhabitants  and  is  the  county  seat  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Maipo  in  the  Province  of  O'Higgins.  The  An- 
dean and  wine-producing  province  of  O'Higgins,  named  in 
honor  of  the  father  of  Chilean  independence  lies  directly 
south  of  the  rather  large  Province  of  Santiago,  its  bound- 
ary line  being  the  Maipo  River.     Its  population  is  92,339. 


Plaza  O'Higgins,  Rancagua 


Rancagua,  the  provincial  capital,  is  a  dirty,  odoriferous, 
dilapidated  adobe  city  of  10,380  people  with  the  outward 
apjx^arance  of  decay.  A  walk  down  the  main  street 
which  is  named  Brazil  belies  the  general  appearance  of  the 
town  for  its  sidewalks  throng  with  peasants  from  whose 
shoulders  hang  multicolored  shawls.  Horsemen  wearing 
red  ponchos,  their  spurs  clanking,  trot  down  the  pebble- 
paved  street  that  is  lined  with  squalid  one-story  shops. 
Although  only  fifty-four  miles  south  of  Santiago,  the  place 
is  a  good  market  town;  of  the  numerous  shops  those  that 
deal  in  dry  goods,  draperies,  and  saddles  appear  to  do  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  265 

most  lucrative  trade.  There  is  only  one  respectable  appear- 
ing spot  in  the  city,  and  that  is  the  small  plaza  in  the  urban 
center  which  is  embellished  by  a  bronze  equestrian  statue 
of  O'Higgins,  his  horse  trampling  a  Spaniard.     Of  the 


Calle  Bresil,  Rancagua 


several  apologies  for  hotels,  none  were  inviting  and  rather 
than  to  eat  at  one  of  their  restaurants,  it  is  best  to  go 
hungry.  The  only  decent  place  to  eat  is  at  the  railroad 
station.  One  of  the  taverns  is  named  ' '  The  North  Ameri- 
can" with  a  proprietor  of  our  own  nationality  but  its 
business  is  mostly  bar  trade,  catering  to  the  incoming 
and  outgoing  trade  of  the  miners  at  El  Teniente  Mine. 
The  day  I  was  at  Rancagua  was  Sunday  which  I  was  told 


266 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


was  the  day  on  which  the  prisoners  of  the  jail  were  aUowed 
to  receive  guests.  I  imagine  that  nearly  everybody  in  the 
town  either  had  relatives  or  friends  in  jail  for  in  front  of 
the  building  which  is  on  the  main  street  a  mob  had  col- 
lected to  await  admittance. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  town  are  tanned  dark  brown,  and 
although  strongly  built   and  powerful  I   noticed  several 


Street  in  Rancagua 

who  were  afflicted  with  the  same  malignant  blood  disease 
which  the  Swiss  guards  imported  into  France  from  Italy 
during  the  Middle  Ages.  I  was  also  surprised  to  see  a 
little  girl  about  twelve  years  old  on  the  street  who  had 
the  leprosy,  the  only  case  I  have  ever  seen  in  Chile. 


The  Braden  Copper  Company  of  North  American 
ownership  has  a  2 >^ -foot  gauge  railroad  that  runs  up  to 
their  copper  mine,  El  Tcniente,  which  is  about  forty-five 
miles  up  the  Cachapoal  River  above  Rancagua;  the  Baths 
of  Cauquenes  is  one  of  their  stations.     This  mine  which 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  267 

was  opened  in  1907  now  has  six  hundred  employees,  many 
of  whom  are  from  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

From  Rancagua  the  train  ride  of  an  hour  and  a  half 
first  crosses  the  Plain  where  fat  cattle  graze  in  knee  high 
clover,  and  then  skirts  along  the  ledge  of  the  mountains 
overlooking  the  broad  terraces  or  selvas  of  the  Cachapoal 
River,  winding  around  promontories  on  a  roadbed  no 
wider  than  the  coaches;  any  mishap  would  be  sufficient 
to  send  the  train  rolling  down  the  mountainside  killing 
all  the  occupants  of  the  cars.  The  station  of  Baiios, 
(meaning  Baths)  is  high  above  the  gorge  of  the  river. 
Across  the  canyon  on  a  ledge  of  rocks  can  be  seen  the 
buildings  of  the  thermal  establishment,  but  before  the 
pedestrian  gets  there  he  must  walk  a  good  half-mile.  A 
foot  path  zigzags  to  the  canyon  bottom  and  an  arm  of  the 
river  is  crossed  by  a  cement  bridge  to  a  rocky  islet.  An- 
other bridge,  this  one  a  swinging  one,  suspended  above  a 
whirlpool  brings  one  again  to  terra  firma  on  the  left  bank. 
One  now  ascends  another  zigzag  path  to  a  forest  of  elm, 
ash,  and  locust,  the  foliage  being  so  thick  that  the  sun's 
rays  never  penetrate  it.  Another  suspension  bridge  which 
spans  a  silvery  cascade  is  reached  and  beyond  it  is  the 
hotel,  a  low,  squat  adobe  building  painted  red,  whose 
many  rooms  open  onto  two  patios. 

The  name  Cauquenes  is  Araucarian  meaning  wild 
pigeon.  This  bird,  the  ectopistes  migratorius,  sometimes 
called  the  voyager  pigeon  or  the  wood  pigeon  originally 
had  its  range  from  Labrador  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 
Half  a  century  ago  they  were  numerous  in  the  United 
States,  but  in  this  country  they  have  been  absolutely 
exterminated  due  to  their  having  been  killed  off  by  hunt- 
ers; great  numbers  which  escaped  the  gun  w^ere  burned  in 
the  Arkansas  forest  fires  four  decades  ago.  Chile  is  the 
only  country  on  the  face  of  this  earth  where  they  still 


268  Journeys  and  Experiences 

exist,  and  it  is  probable  that  they  will  continue  to  live 
there  as  the  inhabitants  are  extremely  averse  to  killing 
them,  the  ignorant  classes  believing  that  they  bring  good 
luck  and  that  it  is  an  ill  omen  to  kill  them.  At  the  present 
time  they  are  not  found  in  Chile  north  of  Cauquenes; 
formerly  there  were  great  numbers  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Cachapoal  hence  the  name  of  the  baths. 


Gorge  of  the  Cachapoal  at  Banos  de  Cauquenes 


The  Baths  of  Cauquenes  are  situated  in  the  Department 
of  Caupolican  in  the  Province  of  Colchagua  on  the  south 
or  left  bank  of  the  Cachapoal  River  in  Latitude  34°i4'i7" 
south  and  in  Longitude  7o°34'5"  west  of  Greenwich. 
The  altitude  of  the  place  above  sea  level  has  been  a  matter 
of  argument.  Eight  different  professors  claim  its  altitude 
in  different  figures  from  2200  feet  which  is  the  lowest  and 
which  is  said  by  Domcyko  to  be  correct,  to  2762  feet  which 
is  the  highest  and  is  said  by  Gillis  to  be  correct.  2490 
feet  which  is  the  altitude  claimed  by  Guessfelt  seems  to  be 
the  most  exact  and  is  the  figure  accepted  by  Dr.  Louis 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  269 

Darapsky  in  his  book,  Mineral  Waters  of  Chile.  The  sea- 
son for  the  baths  is  from  September  15th  to  May  31st,  and 
in  midsummer  the  place  is  generally  crowded.  Describ- 
ing the  scenery,  Don  Jose  Victorino  Lastarria,  an  illustrious 
newspaper  man  of  Santiago,  says: 

"I  have  never  seen  a  more  impressing,  and  at  the  same 
time,  a  more  charming  landscape  than  that  of  the  Baths  of 
Cauquenes,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  in  so  small  a  space  so 
many  different  kinds  of  views  nor  such  surprising  details. 
Nature  has  grouped  there  her  most  beautiful  accidents. 
In  sight  of  the  snowy  Andes,  here  rise  in  the  foreground 
rounded  hills  covered  with  vegetation;  there  rise  barren 
rocks  through  whose  clefts  rushes  the  turbulent  Cachapoal. 
Here  are  gardens  filled  with  flowers ;  there  are  impenetrable 
thickets.  Light  and  shadows  everywhere,  colors  without 
end,  harmony  and  contrast  which  reflect  or  darken  the 
rays  of  the  sun.  " 

The  temperature  is  consistent  and  the  variation  during 
the  day  is  neither  rapid  nor  extreme  although  the  morn- 
ings and  evenings  are  cool  and  it  is  warm  at  midday. 
Even  in  the  hottest  months  the  heat  is  not  irksome,  due  to 
the  fresh  breezes  which  blow  down  the  valley  from  the 
Cordilleras.  In  winter  there  is  snow;  the  cold,  however,  is 
not  excessive. 

The  baths  have  been  known  since  1646,  and  were  de- 
scribed by  Padre  Ovalle  in  his  History  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Chile.  There  are  three  hot  springs  issuing  from  the 
porous  and  shaly  rock,  named  Pelambre,  Solitario,  and 
Corrimiento.  Their  temperatures  are  122°,  113*^,  and 
1 07^6'  Fahrenheit  respectively.  They  are  walled  up 
and  the  waters  of  the  first-mentioned  two  are  run  by 
pipes  into  a  swimming  tank  and  into  tubs  in  the  thermal 
establishment.  During  their  course  in  the  pipes  Pelambre 
loses  3°6'  Fahrenheit  of  its  heat  and  Solitario  5°4'.     Their 


270  Journeys  and  Experiences 

waters  more  than  supply  their  use  so  the  water  of  Corri- 
miento  is  allowed  to  go  to  waste.  The  thermal  establish- 
ment, though  by  no  means  primitive,  is  rather  old-fash- 
ioned. I  was  surprised  to  see  such  an  attractive  place  as 
the  Baiios  de  Cauquenes  not  made  more  of  for  in  hot 
springs  and  natural  scenery  it  is  the  zenith  of  God's 
works.  Man  also  has  done  his  share  well  but  much 
improvement  can  be  made,  all  of  which  requires  capital. 
The  natural  lay  out  of  the  place  is  a  paradise.  It  is 
something  like  the  Cserna  Valley  in  southeastern  Hun- 
gary, but  wilder  and  grander  with  also  a  soft  touch  of 
nature.  The  hills  covered  with  live  oak,  laurel,  and 
mesquite  resemble  those  of  California,  yet  are  more  fertile. 
A  shaded  walk  leads  from  the  hotel  to  an  artificial  lake 
bordered  by  fifty-five  of  the  largest  eucalyptus  trees  that 
I  have  ever  seen.  In  its  center  rising  from  the  water 
stand  two  willows.  One  is  never  absent  from  the  swiftly 
flowing  Cachapoal  which  murmurs  like  the  Tepl  at  Carls- 
bad, only  louder. 

The  baths  are  supposed  to  be  beneficial  in  cases  of  gout, 
diuretics,  rheumatism,  anemia,  and  so  forth,  although  one 
of  the  guests  of  the  hotel  evidently  came  there  for  relief 
for  consumption.  He  was  a  bearded  man  about  sixty 
years  old  and  he  made  an  unholy  spectacle  of  himself  by 
coughing  and  expectorating  on  the  floor  of  the  dining  room 
while  the  other  guests  were  eating  dinner. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  place  I  was  met  at  the  door  by  a 
young  man  wearing  white  duck  trousers  and  a  blue  double- 
breasted  yachting  coat.  With  the  exception  of  his  large 
yellow  moustache  he  had  a  most  cherubic  countenance 
with  a  smooth,  pink,  babylike  face  without  a  wrinkle  or 
blemish.  I  afterwards  discovered  that  this  cherubic  in- 
dividual had  an  inordinately  strong  passion  for  whiskey, 
gin,  and  beer  as  well  as  for  any  drink  which  had  as  a  fun- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  271 

damental  principle  among  its  ingredients,  alcohol.  On 
several  trips  which  I  made  later  to  the  Bancs  de  Cauquenes 
in  1 91 6  I  became  fairly  well  acquainted  with  this  Seiior 
Hermann  Manthey.  He  had  arrived  two  years  previously 
on  one  of  the  German  merchantmen  on  which  he  was  a 
steward.  The  ship  was  interned  and  he  struck  up-country 
to  make  a  living  and  finally  evolved  in  becoming  manager 
of  this  hotel,  as  the  proprietor,  an  old  doctor  had  leased  it 
for  a  few  years  and  was  too  wrapped  up  in  his  own  private 
affairs  and  also  too  lazy  to  give  it  his  attention.  Senor 
Manthey  was  doing  well  on  the  small  salary  and  large 
tips  he  was  getting  but  was  not  without  ambitions.  A 
few  months  afterwards  I  ran  across  him  on  a  few  days' 
vacation  in  Santiago,  and  he  then  was  planning  to  get  the 
owner  to  lease  the  establishment  to  him  upon  the  expir- 
ation of  the  present  lease  to  the  doctor.  The  hotel  with  its 
grounds,  fine  fruit  orchard,  springs,  lake,  and  six  thousand 
acres  of  hilly  grazing  land,  across  which  several  rushing 
streams  of  transparent  water  flow  headlong  into  the 
Cachapoal  is  owned  by  a  gentleman  in  Santiago  who 
leases  it  out  as  he  has  several  other  large  properties.  He 
will  sell  it  for  eighty  thousand  dollars  which  is  dirt  cheap. 
Some  day  I    expect  to  buy  it  and  make  it  my  home. 

At  the  hotel  there  are  horses  to  let.  On  one  of  these 
I  rode  up  a  narrow  valley  and  discovered  that  with 
nothing  but  mere  bridle  paths  leading  to  them,  and  miles 
from  the  nearest  houses,  were  lonely  thatched  and  adobe 
huts,  the  homes  of  poor  people  and  charcoal  burners 
situated  in  mountain  wheat  fields  or  in  clearings  of  a  few 
acres.  All  of  a  sudden  while  riding  I  had  a  sensation  as  if 
the  horse  was  trying  to  squat  on  its  haunches.  I  reached 
for  a  stick  from  a  nearby  limb  to  put  life  into  it  and 
nearly  lost  my  balance.  A  noise  like  distant  thunder  that 
I  had  already  heard  twice  that  afternoon,  although  the 


272  Journeys  and  Experiences 

sky  was  cloudless,  was  audible,  and  in  all  directions  stones 
and  small  boulders  came  rolling  down  the  mountain  side. 
It  was  a  slight  earthquake  which  the  natives  call  temblor 
in  order  to  distinguish  it  from  the  great  ones  which  they 
call  terra  mot 0 

In  the  center  of  one  of  the  myrtle-carpeted  patios  at 
the  hotel  is  a  fountain  encircled  by  an  ivy-covered  wall. 
Here  evenings  bats  congregate  and  flap  their  wings  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  faces  of  the  guests.  A  party  of  Canadians, 
employees  of  El  Teniente  Mine,  were  stopping  at  the 
Baths  when  I  was  there.  They  filled  up  on  liquor  and 
made  sleep  impossible  for  the  other  guests  by  their 
sacrilegious  bawling  of  Onward  Christian  Soldiers  and 
other  hymns  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

On  leaving  Banos  de  Cauquenes  I  decided  to  take  the 
twenty-three-mile  horseback  ride  to  the  station  of  Los 
Lirios  and  from  there  take  the  train  to  southern  Chile. 
The  country  road  was  very  stony;  in  some  places  it  was  a 
mere  cart  track,  while  in  others  it  was  a  broad  avenue. 
During  the  first  part  of  the  ride  it  windingly  followed  the 
south  bank  of  the  Cachapoal  and  crossed  two  streams  of 
transparent  water,  each  known  by  the  same  name,  Rio 
Claro.  This  means  Clear  River,  and  evidently  the  na- 
tives thought  that  if  the  name  would  do  for  one,  it  would  be 
appropriate  for  the  other.  At  every  turn  of  the  road  a 
small  freshet  was  crossed,  for  out  of  every  cleft  or  dent  in 
a  hill  gushed  forth  a  spring.  These  small  streams  the 
peasants  deviated  from  their  courses  by  turning  them  into 
their  gardens  for  irrigating  purposes.  The  natives  were 
very  poor  all  living  in  adobe  hovels  with  thatched  roofs. 
A  few  acres  of  cattle,  a  dog  or  two,  two  acres  of  cultivated 
land,  and  some  pear  trees  represented  all  their  worldly 
belongings;  yet  they  seemed  very  content.  These  peas- 
ants as  a  class  were  the  poorest  people  that  I  have  ever 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  273 

seen  as  far  as  worldly  possessions  go,  yet  every  one  of 
them  always  had  a  full  meal  at  dinner  time.  They  ate 
what  they  raised,  and  where  they  grew  crops  they  worked 
them  with  infinite  care.  As  they  were  too  poor  to  buy 
fertilizer,  they  worked  a  new  piece  of  land  each  year, 
coming  back  to  the  original  piece  after  five  years'  time, 
because  it  had  then  enriched  itself  by  remaining  idle. 
There  were  many  wheat  fields,  ripe  and  yellow,  the  sixty 
bushels  to  an  acre  kind.  Central  Chile  gets  plenty  of  rain 
but  as  it  gets  it  only  in  the  winter  months,  irrigation  has 
to  be  resorted  to  in  the  summer. 

Halfway  to  Los  Lirios  I  arrived  at  the  hamlet  of 
Colihue  (mispronounced  by  the  natives  Collegua)  with 
its  adobe  hovels  bordering  the  now  broad  and  extremely 
dusty  road.  Everybody  in  rural  Chile  travels  on  horse- 
back, and  the  people  I  met  riding  were  many.  A  man 
loses  caste  if  he  journeys  on  foot.  At  Colihue  another 
road  turns  off  to  the  left  to  the  Lake  of  Cauquenes  in  the 
mountains  and  which  teems  with  fish.  The  road  now  left 
the  Cachapoal  and  after  skirting  some  barren  hills  on  the 
right-hand  side  for  a  couple  of  miles  it  reaches  the  settle- 
ment of  Cauquenes  a  most  queer  place.  It  consists  of  a 
great  square  compound  of  dirt  which  is  surrounded  on  all 
four  sides  by  a  five-foot-high  adobe  wall  excepting  where 
there  is  a  church  on  the  west  side  and  a  few  open  sheds  on 
its  east  side.  An  estancia  house  stood  beyond  the  wall  on 
the  south  side  and  there  were  some  buildings  beyond  the 
wall  on  the  north  side  where  the  priest  and  his  servants 
lived.  The  highroad  both  entered  and  left  this  compound 
by  openings  rent  in  the  adobe  wall.  It  may  be  possible 
that  this  place  once  held  a  Spanish  garrison,  and  that  the 
compound  was  the  parade  ground,  and  that  the  open 
sheds  were  former  stables.  Everybody  that  I  asked  knew 
nothing  about  the  early  history  of  the  place. 


274  Journeys  and  Experiences 

A  broad  avenue  one  mile  long  bordered  by  giant  plane 
trees  led  westward  from  here.  Their  foliage  was  so  thick 
that  it  made  the  road  dark,  and  not  seeing  my  way  well  I 
rode  my  horse  onto  a  pile  of  bricks,  the  impact  being  so 
great  that  it  nearly  brought  us  both  down.  The  road 
emerged  to  a  pebble  river  bed,  then  forded  a  river,  and 
wound  around  the  sides  of  some  high  hills.  Every 
horseman  in  Chile  takes  a  slight  upward  grade  at  a  gallop 
and  I  saw  ahead  of  me  a  group  of  horsemen  doing  the 
same;  behind  us  came  galloping  around  the  curves  six 
horses  pulling  a  carriage.  These  horses  were  three  abreast 
and  on  each  outside  leader  two  lackeys  were  mounted. 
It  was  the  doctor's  wife  from  the  Baiios  en  route  to  Los 
Lirios  where  her  sister  has  a  post  station.  Chileans 
frequently  travel  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  their 
servants  who  follow  a  couple  of  horse  lengths  behind 
mounted  on  inferior  animals.  When  the  master  stops, 
the  servant  likewise  does  so,  but  with  the  same  distance 
between  the  two. 

Los  Lirios  consists  only  of  a  small  wooden  railway 
station,  a  warehouse,  a  large  open  horseshed  around  a  yard 
filled  with  wagons  which  is  the  post  station,  a  small  store, 
and  a  saloon.  To  this  latter  place  I  repaired,  after  dis- 
mounting, to  get  a  glass  of  water  after  the  hot  dusty  trip. 
The  building  and  its  stock  of  goods  were  poorer  than  the 
poorest  backwoods  blind  pig,  and  yet  for  a  third-class 
license  the  congenial  and  friendy  proprietor,  who  was 
likewise  barber  and  plied  that  trade  in  an  adjacent  room 
in  the  same  building,  had  to  pay  yearly  two  hundred 
pesos  ($34.12).  From  the  appearance  of  the  shack  it  did 
not  look  as  if  he  took  in  that  much  money  a  year.  Some 
of  the  moustached  clientele  that  happened  along,  I  called 
up  to  the  bar  to  have  a  treat  on  me.  The  proprietor 
brought  forth  two  goblets,  each  one  being  of  a  quart  capa- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  275 

city,  and  filled  them  to  the  brim  with  red  wine  which  he 
poured  from  a  big  jar.  The  contents  of  one  of  these  goblets 
sells  for  S}4  cents,  the  cheapest  wine  that  I  have  ever  seen. 
If  my  surprise  was  great  in  seeing  men  take  a  quart  of 
wine  for  one  drink,  it  was  even  greater  when  I  saw  them 
drink  it  in  nearly  one  gulp  and  put  the  goblet  back  on  the 
bar  in  anticipation  of  a  duplicate.  I  treated  them  two 
or  three  times  and  never  once  did  they  renege.  I  know 
what  would  have  happened  to  me  if  I  had  followed  suit, 
yet  it  seems  incredible  when  I  must  state  that  it  had 
absolutely  no  effect  on  the  imbibers.  It  is  inconceivable 
why  a  man  in  that  part  of  Chile  need  ever  touch  an 
intoxicant,  for  the  sweet,  balmy  air  and  the  voluptuous 
appearance  of  Chile's  maidens  are  sufficient  to  intoxicate 
any  normal,  healthy  man. 

An  hour  after  leaving  Los  Lirios  the  train  arrived  at 
San  Fernando,  population  9150,  the  capital  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  Colchagua  where  we  had  lunch.  Colchagua  which 
has  a  population  of  159,030  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
ductive provinces  of  Chile,  but  the  next  two  provinces 
south  of  it,  Curico  and  Talca  are  not.  It  is  a  sorry  sight 
after  having  passed  through  the  well-tilled,  highly  pro- 
ductive country  ever  since  leaving  Santiago,  to  come 
suddenly  upon  land  that  is  going  to  waste  on  account  of 
lack  of  settlement.  With  the  exception  of  the  six  northern- 
most provinces  of  Chile,  Curico  and  Talca  are  to  me  the 
least  attractive  of  any  of  the  republic.  South  of  San 
Fernando  the  first  town  of  in^iportance  is  Curico,  its  name 
meaning  "Black  Water"  in  the  language  of  the  aborigi- 
nes; then  are  reached  Molina,  iwpulation  4327;  Talca,  the 
sixth  city  of  Chile  with  a  population  of  42,088  inhabitants, 
and  San  Javier  in  the  Province  of  Linares  which  has 
4898  people.  This  town  lies  about  three  miles  east  of 
the  railroad  track  but  is  connected  to  the  depot  by  horse 


276  Journeys  and  Experiences 

cars  and  to  Mlla  Alcc^rc,  the  next  town  south  of  it,  by 
trolley. 

The  Andean  Province  of  Linares  and  its  southern 
neighbor  Nuble  are  very  important  agriculturally,  both 
being  two  of  the  best  in  the  republic.  Their  crops  are 
diversified,  run  high  in  percentage  of  measure  to  the  hec- 
tare and  are  of  good  quality.  The  capital  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  Linares  is  the  city  of  Linares  with  a  population 
of  11,122.  It  has  good  stores  and  buildings  most  of 
which  are  painted  pink.  Like  in  Rancagua  the  samples 
of  merchandise  on  display  in  the  shops  are  cloth,  pon- 
chos, and  drygoods.  Although  but  slightly  larger  than 
Rancagua  it  is  a  much  finer  town,  and  even  though  its 
streets  are  none  too  clean  they  are  far  superior  to  those 
of  the  capital  of  the  Province  of  O'Higgins.  In  comparing 
the  two  cities  it  is  fair  to  say  that  Rancagua  presents 
more  activity  in  street  life  and  in  business.  There  is  one 
hotel  which  is  fair,  the  Comercio.  A  peculiarity  about 
Linares  is  that  on  the  streets,  especially  that  one  on  which 
the  railroad  station  faces,  native  women  are  seated  in 
front  of  portable  stoves  offering  for  sale  cooked  edibles 
which  should  be  eaten  on  the  spot.  I  saw  one  man  who, 
when  he  had  finished  eating,  left  the  spoon  on  the  table 
near  the  stove.  The  woman  who  owned  it  licked  it  dry, 
and  after  having  wiped  it  on  her  undershirt,  replaced 
it  in  a  dish  that  would  be  sold  to  the  next  customer. 
The  native  women  have  an  art  peculiar  to  Linares 
and  nonexistent  anywhere  else  in  the  \\'orld  of  weaving  a 
certain  delicate  fiber  into  small  baskets,  jugs,  and  orna- 
ments. These  woven  wares  are  very  diminutive  and  are 
valuable  only  as  ornaments  and  curiosities.  They  are 
multicolored  and  are  in  much  demand  by  strangers.  It  is 
possible  to  buy  them  in  Santiago  but  at  an  exorbitant  price 
for  all  that  are  on  sale  there  are  imported  from  Linares. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  277 

A  two-and-a-half-foot  gauge  railroad  runs  from  a  station 
a  block  and  a  half  north  of  the  main  depot  to  the  springs 
of  Panimavida,  two  hours  distant  to  the  northeast. 
Having  seen  those  of  Cauquenes,  in  order  to  augment  my 
education  along  thermal  lines,  it  was  up  to  me  to  see 
Panimavida  and  to  especially  sample  its  mineral  waters, 
as  its  bottled  water  is  the   most   widely  drunk  of  any 


Main  Street  of  Linares 


mineral  water  in  Chile.     It  corresponds  to  White  Rock 
and  to  Still  Rock. 

The  place  Panimavida  is  nothing.  It  is  just  as  if 
somebody  had  erected  a  big  hotel  in  the  middle  of  an 
Illinois  or  a  Wisconsin  landscape.  The  attractions  are 
absolutely  nil.  There  are  six  practically  tasteless  luke- 
warm springs  covered  over  with  glass  tops  which  supply 
the  popular  table  water  of  Chile.  These  springs  are  the 
property  of  the  Sociedad  Vinos  de  Santiago  (Santiago 
Wine  Company),  and  as  that  stock  company  is  well 
capitalized  the  Panimavida  waters  are  well  advertised 
by  them.  As  people  like  to  dilute  their  wine  with  seltzer, 
this   company   has   installed   a   carbonizing   plant   here, 


278  Journeys  and  Experiences 

which  changes  the  still  water  into  a  sparkling  one.  The 
plant  with  hotel  is  leased  to  a  man  named  Hernandez,  a 
fine,  fat,  young  fellow  with  a  flowing  beard.  He  is  a 
good  and  accommodating  hotel  man  and  gets  the  trade, 
even  having  his  runners  meet  the  trains  at  Linares. 
Panimavida  is  an  excellent  old-maids'  paradise.  Under 
the  shady  roof  of  the  patio  porch  they  can  sit,  gossip,  and 
knit.     The  proverbial  parrot  is  present  and  a  black  cat 


Panimavida 


could  be  easily  imported.  President  Sanfuentes  arrived 
during  my  visit  to  rest  up  after  the  strenuous  strain 
connected  with  his  installation.  It  was  an  ideal  place 
for  this  with  nothing  to  distract  his  attention  except  the 
broad  meadows  and  the  corrugated-iron,  yellow-painted 
Catholic  chapel. 

Said  His  Excellency  to  me:  "What  Chile  needs  is 
population.  Here  we  have  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
acres  of  the  richest  land  in  the  world  lying  idle,  because 
there  is  nobody  to  cultivate  it.  Until  we  have  the 
proper  number  of  inhabitants  there  is  no  use  to  cultivate 
these  lands,  because  Chile  produces  four  times  more  of  an 
abundance  of  fruit  than  she  can  consume.     You  sec  how 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  279 

cheap  fruit  and  wine  is;  there  is  an  over  production. 
Every  year  a  milhon  tons  go  to  waste  because  there  is 
no  market.  She  cannot  export  them  because  the  United 
States  and  Argentina  are  nearer  to  the  European  markets 
and  the  freight  rates  would  eat  up  the  profits.  As  there 
is  a  great  demand  for  grain,  people  have  gone  more  and 
more  into  the  growing  of  cereals  but  as  yet  this  industry 
is  in  its  infancy.  It  should  be  encouraged  for  now  there 
is  grown  just  enough  wheat  to  meet  the  internal  demand." 

"Supposing,  "  I  asked,  "that  Chile  had  four  times  more 
population  than  she  now  has,  would  she  not  have  to 
import  her  wheat  ? " 

"Never,"  he  replied,  "as  there  are  here  millions  of 
hectares  of  the  best  wheat  lands  in  the  world  that  can  be 
bought  for  a  song.  They  are  now  lying  idle.  Something 
has  to  take  the  place  of  the  timber  of  the  southern  pro- 
vinces.    When  it  is  gone  it  will  have  to  be  cereals." 

"I  believe,"  he  continued,  "in  encouraging  a  large 
immigration,  chiefly  from  the  northern  countries — the 
United  States,  Germany,  Scandinavia,  and  Great  Britain. 
Their  inhabitants  have  more  initiative  than  the  Latins 
and  intermarried  with  the  natives  make  a  strong  blood. 
Our  people  and  those  of  all  the  Latin  countries  excepting 
the  Frenchmen  lack  initiative  and  that  is  what  we  need. 
The  Chilenos  are  content  to  live  as  they  have  lived  for 
decades,  which  is  all  very  well  but  it  is  unprogressive. 
Thanks  to  the  British  we  now  have  a  fairly  large  mer- 
chant marine;  to  the  Germans  is  due  the  credit  of  the 
prosperous  condition  of  the  southern  provinces.  The 
only  drawback  to  the  foreigners  here  is  that  they  run  too 
much  to  cliques.  They  should  scatter  more.  We  should 
also  have  more  capital  to  start  factories,  but  I  do  not  be- 
lieve in,  nor  shall  I  encourage,  any  industry  that  will  reap 
the  profits  here  to  spend  oatside  of  the  countr}^" 


28o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

A  couple  of  hours  south  of  Panimavida  arc  the  springs 
of  Ouinamavida.  They  are  said  to  be  equally  as  good 
as  those  of  Panimavida,  but  the  hotel  there  is  poorly 
managed  and  there  is  a  lack  of  capital  to  well  advertise 
its  waters. 

On  the  return  to  Linares  something  went  wrong  wth 
the  locomotive,  which  in  appearance  was  similar  to  the 
dinky  engines  one  sees  in  the  lumber  plants  at  home  used 
in  hauling  lumber  through  the  yards.  A  priest  on  the 
train  who  had  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind  got  out  of  the 
car,  and  jumping  into  the  engine  cab  soon  had  the  loco- 
motive in  running  order,  much  to  the  amazement  of  the 
train  crew. 

Southward  from  Linares  the  main  line  of  the  railroad 
passes  through  Parral,  population  10,047,  San  Carlos, 
population  8499,  Chilian,  and  Bulnes,  population  3689. 
San  Carlos  is  famous  for  its  melons  and  Bulnes  is  likewise 
so  for  its  wines.  At  San  Rosendo,  315  miles  south  of 
Santiago,  the  train  crosses  a  branch  of  the  Bio-Bio  River, 
which  is  named  the  Rio  Claro  in  want  of  another  name  and 
Araucania  is  entered. 

By  the  name  Araucania  is  known  that  part  of  Chile 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Bio-Bio  River  and  on  the 
south  by  the  Calle-Calle  River.  Its  eastern  limit  is  the 
peaks  of  the  Andes  and  its  western  one  is  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
In  area  it  is  about  the  size  of  the  State  of  Maine  and 
comprises  the  provinces  of  Arauco,  Malleco,  Cautin,  and 
portions  of  those  of  Bio-Bio  and  Valdivia.  The  Spaniards 
always  spoke  of  this  region  as  the  frontera,  meaning  fron- 
tier, and  so  to-day  all  Chile  lying  south  of  the  Bio-Bio  is 
spoken  thus  of. 

The  original  inhabitants  of  this  countr}-,  the  Arau- 
canian  Indians  were  the  bravest  and  most  warlike  of  any 
of  the  South  American  tribes,  and  it  was  not  until  1883 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  281 

that  they  were  finalh'  subdued  after  340  years  of  warfare. 
Caupolican,  Lautaro,  and  Colo-Colo,  their  great  warriors 
have  been  immortalized  in  the  poem  "La  Araucana"  by 
Alonso  de  Ercilla.  The  Araucanians  have  intermarried 
so  much  with  the  whites  that  their  race  is  fast  becoming 
extinct  although  their  facial  characteristics  and  figures 
are  prevalent  in  a  multitude  of  South  Chileans.  Their 
political  organization  was  as  follows: 

A  large  geographical  division  was  called  an  aillarehue. 
These  aillarehues  were  divided  into  nine  smaller  j^arts, 
each  part  being  named  a  rehiie.  Ruling  over  each  rehue 
w^ere  two  toqiiis  or  caciques  who  were  responsible  to  the 
two  gidmens  who  ruled  over  the  aillarehues.  One  gulmen 
ruled  in  wartime,  the  other  in  times  of  peace.  wSo  also 
with  each  toqui.  The  office  of  toqui  was  hereditary  and 
many  became  famous  through  warfare  or  by  their  wealth, 
for  example  Colipi,  Mariluan,  Catrileo,  and  Huinca 
Pinolevi. 

The  Araucanians  had  no  gods  with  anything  definite 
attributed  to  them,  nor  did  they  have  temples  and  idols, 
but  they  were  exceptionally  superstitious.  Their  princi- 
pal god  was  Pillan,  god  of  thunder,  light,  and  destruc- 
tion. He  lived  in  the  highest  peaks  of  the  Andes  and  in 
the  volcanos.  Dependent  upon  him  were  the  Huecuvus, 
malignant  spirits.  Epunamun  was  the  god  of  war.  They 
also  practised  the  cult  of  stone  w^orship.  Their  most 
superstitious  ceremony  was  Machitun  or  cure  of  the  sick. 
The  Araucanian  does  not  believe  that  a  man  should  die 
unless  he  is  killed  in  battle,  and  when  he  dies  a  natural 
death  through  old  age  or  sickness  they  believe  that  some 
of  their  own  people  inimicable  to  the  deceased  caused  him 
to  die.  In  order  to  discover  the  malefactor,  they  consult 
a  witch  doctor,  generally  an  old  hag  named  a  machi. 
After  having  indulged  in  a  number  of  ridiculous  contor- 


282      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

tions  and  jumps  she  names  the  supposedly  guilty  party. 
Without  any  further  ceremony  they  pounce  on  him  and 
amidst  a  great  drunken  orgy  and  libations  of  chicha  (a 
native  intoxicant)  dedicated  to  Pillan  they  torture  the 
innocent  victim  to  death.  When  a  man  dies  they  gener- 
ally perform  a  post-mortem  examination  upon  the  corpse 
to  endeavor  to  extract  the  poison  from  it  which  caused 
death.  The  burial  takes  place  with  great  lamentation 
and  imbibitions  of  oceans  of  chicha  to  the  tune  of  a  lugu- 
brious musical  instrument  somewhat  like  a  drum  and 
named  a  tnitnica.  They  believe  in  an  everlasting  future 
devoted  to  earthly  pleasures.  They  formerly  believed 
that  the  deceased  came  to  life  again  and  dwelt  on  the 
island  of  Mocha  off  the  coast,  but  they  changed  their 
thought  when  they  discovered  that  the  Spanish  pirates 
formerly  used  that  island  as  their  base  for  excursions  on 
the  mainland.  Marriage  among  the  Araucanians  has  for 
some  time  past  been  a  true  compact,  the  father  of  the  bride 
having  to  give  his  consent.  It  is  not  necessary  for  any 
other  members  of  the  family  to  be  consulted,  but  it  often 
happens  that  after  the  marriage  has  taken  place,  fights 
arise  between  the  groom  and  the  brothers-in-law  who 
objected,  several  parties  being  severely  wounded  in  these 
affrays.  The  plight  of  woman  is  miserable ;  she  is  practi- 
cally a  slave  and  the  husband  enjoys  the  fruits  of  her 
labor.     Polygamy  exists  among  them. 

South  of  the  Bio-Bio  the  landscape  changes  nearly 
entirely.  The  flat,  cultivated  plains  of  the  river  pockets 
which  form  the  great  central  valley  now  give  place  to  roll- 
ing hills  intersected  by  small  streams  which  lie  deep  in 
canyons  spanned  by  bridges.  At  first  there  arc  evidences 
of  viticulture  on  the  side  hills  but  these  soon  disappear 
as  well  as  the  trees,  which  now  only  are  seen  near  the  river 
beds.     Tliis  absolutely  treeless  country  of  rounded  hills 


Bridge  over  the  Malleco  River  at  Collipulli 


2SX 


284  Journeys  and  Experiences 

swelters  in  the  hot  sun  as  it  beats  down  upon  the  infinite 
miles  of  yellow  wheat  fields.  In  the  villages  frame  houses 
take  the  place  of  adobe  ones.  There  are  numerous  small 
lumber  yards  and  sawmills  which  bear  testimony  that  in 
the  distant  mountains  there  is  still  timber.  Occasionally 
a  deserted  sawmill  is  passed  which  shows  that  the  lumber- 
men are  in  the  same  fix  as  those  at  home,  namely  that  a 
new  location  must  be  found. 

At  Santa  Fe,  the  junction  of  a  branch  railway  that  runs 
to  Los  Angeles,  of  typhoid-fever  fame,  and  the  capital  of 
the  Province  of  Bio-Bio,  a  curious  incident  happened.  A 
coffin  had  been  caken  off  an  incoming  train  to  be  put  in  our 
baggage  car.  Coffins  in  Chile  are  kite  shaped  and  are  not 
placed  in  boxes  when  transported.  The  top  is  not  nailed 
but  is  fitted  into  a  groove.  I  stood  a  couple  of  yards  away 
watching  the  train  crew  lift  this  coffin  into  the  baggage 
car.  They  had  to  lift  it  slantingly  as  some  baggage  stood 
in  the  way.  vSuddenly  the  train  gave  a  jolt  causing  one 
of  the  baggage  men  to  lose  his  footing.  Since  there  was 
nobody  now  at  the  head  of  the  coffin  it  fell  onto  the  plat- 
form, the  lid  came  off,  and  the  malodorous  and  semi- 
decomposed  cadaver  rolled  on  top  of  the  baggage  man  who 
emitted  awful  shrieks  and  howls.  The  two  other  men 
helping  him  immediately  took  to  their  heels.  Women 
screamed,  men  ran,  natives  crossed  themselves,  and  Ger- 
mans laughed.  The  pinned-down  baggage  man  howlingly 
extricated  himself  from  beneath  the  corpse  and  made  all 
haste  to  jump  on  the  train  which  had  now  started,  leaving 
the  lich  on  the  platform  since  nobody  would  go  near  it. 

At  Renaico  where  there  is  a  large  frame  depot  and 
restaurant,  a  branch  line  runs  southwest  to  Angol,  capital 
of  the  Province  of  Malleco  and  continues  to  Traiguen.  At 
CoUipulli,  meaning  "Red  Earth"  which  has  3005  inhabi- 
tants, the  train  crosses  the  great  viaduct  over  the  Malleco 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  285 

River  which  Hes  deep  at  our  feet,  bordered  by  a  dark  fringe 
of  oaks.  This  is  the  most  beautiful  vale  in  Chile.  The 
clear,  narrow,  foaming  river  is  a  refreshing  sight.  A  rich 
man  has  built  a  villa  on  the  rise  of  ground  overlooking 
the  stream  which  gives  the  scenery  a  touch  of  the  Rhein. 

The  landscape  now  changes  again.  Oak,  laurel,  and 
lingiie  appear,  at  first  scattered,  then  in  groves,  and  later 
in  forests,  while  everywhere  possible  in  clearings  are  oat 
fields,  the  grain  just  turning  color.  The  farther  south  we 
go  the  greener  the  grain  is,  until  we  reach  Victoria,  popu- 
lation 9840,  where  the  grain  has  not  begun  to  change  color. 
Every  three  years  the  farmers  cut  off  the  branches  from  the 
laurels;  these  they  scatter  over  their  fields  and  set  fire  to. 
Among  the  ashes  they  drag  the  grain  into  the  ground  for 
by  this  procedure  they  are  supposed  to  harvest  better 
crops.  Land  here  is  worth  eighty  dollars  an  acre.  The 
landscape  is  decidedly  like  that  of  our  Northern  States, 
and  the  climate  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  Oregon  and 
Washington.  At  dusk  Lautaro  in  the  Province  of  Cautin 
was  reached.  This  town  has  a  population  of  5968  and  is 
named  after  Valdivia's  Araucanian  horse  boy  who  mur- 
dered him  and  as  tradition  says  ate  him.  As  I  mentioned 
before  all  the  towns  that  we  passed  through  south  of  the 
Bio-Bio  are  built  of  wood,  but  up  to  here  their  roofs  were 
of  tile,  with  a  few  exceptions  of  corrugated  iron,  tin,  and 
'Shingles.  The  tile  roofs  now  entirely  disappear  and  their 
place  is  taken  by  those  of  shingles  or  slabs  of  lumber.  The 
houses  are  unpainted  and  as  to  external  appearances  are 
veritable  hovels.  They  resemble  those  dilapidated  struc- 
tures of  the  nigger  villages  in  our  Gulf  States.  Many 
towns  resemble  the  one-time  lumber  settlements  of  the 
upper  peninsula  of  Michigan. 

On  the  train  I  became  acquainted  with  the  Reverend 
Steerer,   a  divine   of  the   Church  of  England  who  had 


286  Journeys  and  Experiences 

resided  for  twenty-six  years  in  Temuco  and  who  gave  me 
valuable  information  about  the  country.  He  had  just 
returned  from  a  trip  to  the  mountains  at  the  request  of  the 
British  Consul  in  Concepcion  who  had  sent  him  there  to 
inquire  into  the  mystery  surrounding  the  murder  of  an 
EngHshman  who  was  stabbed  to  death  in  bed  by  some 
natives  who  wanted  the  money  he  had  on  him. 

At  Temuco  the  Cautin  River  is  reached.  The  country 
around  here  has  had  a  troubled  history  in  the  wars  between 
the  Araucanians  and  the  whites.  One  of  the  anecdotes 
is  that  on  July  31,  1849,  the  bark  J  oven  Daniel  ran  into 
some  rocks  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  was  ship- 
wrecked. The  cacique  Curin  lived  near  the  spot  and  with 
the  help  of  his  tribesmen  they  saved  the  lives  of  the  crew 
and  passengers  together  with  the  cargo  which  was  given 
to  them  out  of  gratitude.  In  the  cargo  was  liquor  which 
they  immediately  attacked.  Under  its  influence  they 
murdered  every  survivor  except  an  eighteen-year-old  girl, 
Elisa  Bravo  of  Valparaiso,  whom  Curin  selected  to  be  one 
of  his  wives.  She  was  betrothed  to  a  Ramon  Bafiados  of 
Valparaiso.  His  family  immediately  took  up  the  matter 
with  the  government  which  immediately  got  into  action 
to  chastise  the  Araucanians.  Dissentions  had  in  the 
meantime  arisen  among  the  Indians,  and  two  caciques, 
Loncomilla  and  Huaquinpan  took  the  side  of  the  whites. 
The  Araucanians  were  beaten  but  no  trace  of  Elisa  Bravo 
was  ever  found  as  it  was  supposed  that  Curin  married  her 
and  took  her  to  a  place  of  safety. 

Another  incident  happened  in  1861.  A  French  adven- 
turer named  Aurelie  de  Tournes  proclaimed  himself 
King  of  Araucania  under  the  title  of  Orelie  I.  He  prom- 
ised to  free  the  Indians  from  the  Chilean  rule  and  had 
the  ability  to  get  the  aid  of  several  caciques  and  quite  a 
large  following.     In  a  battle  he  was  taken  prisoner;  he 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    287 

was  tried  for  menacing  public  safety  and  would  likely  have 
been  executed  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  intercession  of  the 
members  of  the  French  colony  in  vSantiago,  and  of  a  judge 
who  has  previously  declared  him  to  be  insane. 


Street  in  Temuco 


Temuco  is  the  capital  of  the  Province  of  Cautin  and  is 
the  geographical  capital  of  Araucania.  It  is  the  largest 
city  of  Chile  south  of  the  Bio-Bio  and  has  a  population 
of  29,557,  ranking  ninth  in  the  repubhc.  It  is  422  miles 
south  of  Santiago,  and  owes  its  origin  to  a  fort  which 
was   built   here   in    1881.     In    recent    years    its    growth 


288  Journeys  and  Experiences 

has  been  rapid.  The  city  is  situated  west  of  the  main- 
hne  of  the  longitudinal  railroad,  and  is  the  junction  for  a 
branch  line  that  runs  to  the  town  of  Imperial.  There  is  a 
considerable  English  colony  which  has  a  church  and  two 
schools,  but  like  all  over  in  southern  Chile,  the  Teutonic 
clement  outnumbers  all  the  rest  of  foreigners  in  a  ratio  of 
ten  to  one.  The  business  is  mostly  in  the  hands  of  the 
Germans  as  can  be  seen  by  the  names  over  the  stores. 
Somebody  with  a  Yiddish  streak  must  have  strolled  in 
from  somewhere  because  I  noticed  the  sign  of  Benjamin 
Goldenberg  over  the  door  of  a  second-hand  clothing  shop. 
The  city  is  a  long-strung-out  place  of  frame  unpaintcd 
buildings  presenting  a  most  unattractive  appearance ;  only 
in  the  center  of  the  town  one  gets  away  from  these  eye- 
sores for  there  brick  and  cement  structures  abound, 
especially  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Plaza  Anibal  Pinto. 
The  principal  streets,  Jeneral  Bulnes,  Arturo  Prat,  and 
several  others  are  well  paved  with  cobblestones  over  which 
horse  cars  rattle  in  the  long  ride  to  the  railroad  station. 
Driving  from  this  station  to  the  town  the  hotel  omnibuses 
race  each  other  much  to  the  fright  of  the  uninitiated 
stranger.  Temuco  boasts  of  an  excellent  hotel,  the  Cen- 
tral, owned  by  a  large,  fat  German  named  Finsterbusch, 
whose  facial  adornment  is  a  big  aureate  moustache. 
Like  most  of  the  Chilean  hotels  owned  by  Germans  the 
place  is  clean,  the  beer  good,  and  the  cuisine  excellent. 

The  109-mile  train  ride  from  Temuco  to  Valdivia  is 
made  in  four  and  a  quarter  hours  through  a  country 
entirely  different  from  any  that  is  passed  through  from 
Santiago  to  this  point.  The  low  mountains  come  in  such 
close  proximity  to  the  railroad  track  that  one  is  pierced 
by  a  tunnel.  They  are  heavily  timbered  with  trees  of 
good  saw-log  size,  laurel  and  oak  abounding.  The  only 
place  of  importance  on  the  stretch  is  the  sawmill  town  of 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    289 

Loncoche.  The  valley  bottoms  are  impenetrable  jungles 
of  vines,  bushes,  thorns,  and  berry  plants  which  reach  a 
height  of  about  twenty-five  feet.  It  took  the  pioneers  a 
month  to  traverse  ten  miles  of  this  wilderness  whose 
bottom  is  soggy  muck,  the  average  day's  penetration 
being  but  one  third  of  a  mile.  Antilhue  is  the  junction 
for  trains  running  south.     The  Calle-Calle  River  is  crossed 


Plaza  de  la  Republica,  Valdivia 


and  its  south  bank  is  followed  into  Valdivia  through  a 
fragrant  country  covered  with  scarlet  wild  fuchsias,  honey- 
suckles, snapdragons,  and  morning-glories.  On  all  sides  are 
the  green  mountains  covered  with  primeval  forests. 

Valdivia  has  had  its  share  of  the  world's  vicissitudes  and 
calamities.  It  was  founded  in  1552  by  Pedro  de  Valdivia 
and  was  abandoned  in  1554  on  account  of  the  attacks  on  it 
by  the  Araucanians  who  captured  its  founder  and  put  him 
to  death  by  torture.  It  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake 
in  1575,  and  when  rebuilt  was  sacked  by  Elias  Harckmans, 
a  Dutchman  who  fortified  it.     In  1645  the  Dutch  were 


290  Journeys  and  Experiences 

worsted  in  a  fight  with  the  troops  of  the  Peruvian  viceroy, 
the  Marquis  de  Mancera  who  drove  them  out.  There 
was  another  earthquake  in  1737  which  again  destroyed 
the  place.  Rebuilt,  it  was  burned  in  1748.  In  1837  a 
third  earthquake  destroyed  it.  Since  then  it  has  burned 
down  three  times,  in  1840,  in  1885,  and  in  191 1,  the  last 
one  being  an  especially  bad  fire,  wiping  out  the  entire  city. 
Thus  it  has  been  destroyed  by  earthquakes  three  times  and 
burned  four  times. 

It  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Calle- 
Calle  which  is  navigable  for  small  boats.  The  city  is 
uninteresting  as  it  is  absolute h'  modern.  In  character  it 
is  German,  for  it  is  the  leading  German  center  in  Chile. 
No  other  language  is  heard  spoken  on  the  main  streets. 
The  natives  who  slightly  outnumber  the  Teutons  and  also 
speak  German  are  to  be  found  mostly  on  the  back  streets; 
they  are  employed  by  the  Germans  in  the  different  indus- 
tries. The  population  of  Valdivia  which  is  the  tenth  city 
in  Chile  is  24,743. 

When  one  alights  at  the  railroad  station,  it  is  better  to 
take  a  launch  to  the  city  to  the  tune  of  sixty  centavos 
(10  cents)  than  by  the  more  arduous  and  long  trip  by  cab 
over  rough  plank  pavements.  These  launches  owned  by  a 
man  named  Oettinger  give  the  stranger  a  pleasant  ride 
down  the  river  and  disembark  him  at  a  new  cement  quay 
near  the  center  of  the  city  from  which  place  boys  carry  the 
grips  to  the  various  hotels.  One  is  immediately  impressed 
by  the  cleanliness  of  the  cobblestone-paved  streets  of  the 
business  section  and  by  the  handsome  though  inexpensive 
structures.  It  is  by  far  the  cleanest  city  in  Chile.  With 
the  exception  of  the  buildings  on  the  streets  near  the 
Plaza  de  la  Republica,  which  are  of  cement  construction, 
all  the  other  buildings  are  of  frame  or  corrugated  iron,  or 
of  both,  but  painted  freshly  over.     The  side  streets  are 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    291 

paved  with  wooden  planks,  and  in  some  places  with 
wooden  beams,  six  by  sixes.  The  main  industry  is  brew- 
ing. The  colossal  brewery  named  Compahia  Cerveceria 
Valdivia,  formerly  that  of  Anwandter  Brothers,  one  of  the 
largest  in  Chile,  looms  up  majestically  on  the  water  front 
across  the  narrow  river  opposite  the  landing  quay.  The 
storerooms  for  this  amber  and  nut-brown  beverage  are 


Calle-Calle  River  at  Valdivia,  Showing  Flour  Mills 


on  the  city  side  of  the  river  at  the  dock.  The  best  hotel 
in  Valdivia  is  the  Carlos  Bussenius,  named  after  the  host 
who  in  appearance  could  pass  as  a  twin  brother  of  Fin- 
sterbusch  in  Temuco. 

A  pleasant  trip  from  Valdivia  is  the  two  hours'  ride  down 
the  river  to  Corral  but  another  and  far  grander  is  that  to 
Lake  Rihihue  and  across  the  mountains  to  the  wretched 
hamlet  of  San  Martin  de  los  Andes  in  the  greatly  over- 
rated southern  part  of  Argentina  known  as  Patagonia. 

I  left  Valdivia  about  the  middle  of  an  afternoon  and  got 
off  the  train  an  hour  and  a  half  later  at  the  station  of 


29- 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


Collilelfu  where  I  put  up  for  the  night  at  a  wooden  shack 
with  a  tin  roof  which  was  an  apology  for  a  hotcL  Early 
the  next  morning  I  arose  to  catch  the  seven-thirt}-  train 
for  Huidif,  the  railroad  terminus  of  the  branch  line  which 


Street  in  Valdivia 


will  in  time  be  continued  to  Lake  Rinihue.  The  ride  of  an 
hour  only  brought  the  train  to  its  destination  where  the 
passengers  alighted  to  change  into  carriages  which  cover 
the  six  remaining  miles  to  the  lake  in  three  quarters  of  the 
time.  The  whole  landscape  is  rolling  and  is  semiforested, 
and  as  the  lake  is  approached  vast  marshes  abounding  in 
wild  fowl  are  traversed.  Lake  Rinihue  is  about  fifteen 
miles  long  by  four  miles  broad  and  is  a  favorite  summer 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  293 

resort  for  the  inhabitants  of  Valdivia.  The  landscape  is 
beautified  by  vistas  of  the  snow-capped  volcanos,  Chos- 
huenco  and  Mocho. 

The  seventy-five-mile  trip  to  Osomo  from  Valdivia  con- 
sumes four  hours   and   lies   through   a   smiling   farming 


Rinihue  Landscape,  Southern  Chile 


country  with  villages,  farms,  and  soils  characteristic  to 
those  of  the  best  part  of  Wisconsin.  It  was  dusk 
when  I  arrived  at  Osorno,  metropolis  of  the  Province 
of  Llanquihue.  The  city  has  a  population  of  about 
12,000  and  is  6oi  miles  south  of  Santiago.  A  daily  train 
makes  the  entire  distance  in  25  hours  and  40  minutes,  a 
sleeper  being  attached  to  the  train  as  far  as  Renaico. 
Osorno  is  a  miserable -looking  place  of  frame  buildings 
built  close  together  as  is  the  custom  in  all  the  towns  of 


^94      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

southern  Chile  Avhere  kimber  plays  the  main  role  in  the 
erection  of  edifices;  but  few  of  the  houses  and  stores  are 
painted.  Valdivia  is  the  only  jjlace  in  this  section  of  the 
country  where  the  inhabitants  take  enough  pride  in  the 
appearance  of  their  town  to  give  the  houses  a  fresh  coat  of 
paint.  I  was  told  by  Bussenius  to  go  to  a  German  hotel 
which  had  just  been  opened  by  a  former  chef  of  one  of 
the  interned  Kosmos  Line  steamers.  I  did  not  go  there, 
however,  because  Americans  do  not  stand  in  good  repute 
with  the  Germans  and  Chilenos  of  German  descent  in 
southern  Chile.  Although  the  United  States  was  not  at 
war  with  Germany  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  nevertheless  the 
Teutonic  inhabitants  of  that  section  took  pains  to  show 
their  dislike  of  North  Americans.  Although  I  was  sub- 
jected to  no  personal  discourtesy  at  either  Temuco  or  Val- 
divia, but  on  the  contrary  was  treated  well,  I  was  obliged 
to  listen  to  much  tirade  against  the  United  States  and 
the  inhabitants  of  our  country  in  general.  The  Germans 
were  angered  because  North  American  firms  were  supply- 
ing the  Entente  with  munitions  of  war  and  it  was  a  current 
topic  of  conversation  among  them  that  the  United  States 
was  afraid  to  declare  war  upon  Germany,  saying  that  if  it 
did  so  there  would  be  an  uprising  there  against  its  Govern- 
ment by  the  great  number  of  Germans  and  Americans  of 
German  extraction.  They  anticipated  a  Biirgerkrieg  or 
Civil  War  in  the  United  States  if  the  latter  joined  sides 
with  Great  Britain. 

As  there  were  a  couple  of  spruce-looking  runners  at  the 
railway  station  for  the  Hotel  Royal,  a  native  hostelry,  I 
gave  them  my  grips  and  was  driven  through  the  unprepos- 
sessing streets  of  the  city.  The  cab  eventually  stopped  in 
front  of  a  building  that  has  the  outward  appearance  of  a  cer- 
tain large  residence  on  the  outskirts  of  Ashland,  Wisconsin, 
where  lumberjacks  and  sailors  were  wont  to  congregate 


296  Journeys  and  Experiences 

after  pay  days  and  sojourn  until  their  savings  were  gone. 
I  was  wondering  whether  this  estabHshment  was  of  the 
same  nature.  Fortunately  it  turned  out  to  be  a  very  good 
and  comfortable  hotel,  absolutely  Chilean.  Osorno  has 
several  other  hotels,  all  German.  Osorno  has  more 
Teutons  in  proportion  to  its  size  than  any  city  in  Chile. 
In  numbers,  Valdivia  has  a  larger  German  population,  but 
the  ratio  is  smaller  for  Valdivia  is  the  larger  place.  Three- 
quarters  of  Osorno 's  population  is  German,  their  numbers 
here  being  in  excess  of  nine  thousand.  In  southern  Chile 
where  most  of  the  hotel-keepers  are  German,  the  inns  all 
have  the  Gastzimmer  or  Biirgerzimmer  as  in  Germany, 
where  the  merchants  and  clerks  assemble  nights  to  discuss 
news  and  the  events  of  the  day  over  large  schupers  of 
health-giving  beer.  A  non-trust  brew^ery  has  recently 
been  inaugurated  in  Osorno  by  a  man  named  Aubel  and 
his  wet  goods  certainly  hit  the  right  spot  when  partaken  of. 
Outside  of  his  brewery  there  is  no  manufacturing  in  the 
town  excepting  the  large  flour  mill  of  Williamson  and 
Balfour.     Both  these  enterprises  were  born  in  1914. 

While  standing  on  the  plaza  one  night  listening  to  the 
military  band,  all  at  once  was  heard  the  pealing  of  bells 
and  booming  of  gongs.  Everybody  started  to  run  in  all 
directions  and  not  knowing  what  was  taking  place,  think- 
ing it  was  either  an  earthquake  or  a  revolution,  I  followed 
suit  and  hid  behind  a  maple  tree.  This  scare  turned  out 
to  be  a  fire  alarm.  The  whole  crowd  now  raced  and  tore 
down  a  street  that  leads  across  the  railroad  track,  and  I 
presently  saw  by  the  blaze  that  the  fire  was  of  no  small 
importance.  Slipping  up  to  my  room  I  took  my  valuables 
from  my  valise,  and  putting  them  in  my  pocket  joined  the 
crowd.  Above  the  din  of  conversations,  orders  from  the 
police,  and  the  noise  from  the  fire  pumps,  could  be  heard 
the  agonizing  screams  of  four  victims  that  were  being 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  297 

burned  to  death  at  the  windows  of  the  second  story  of  a 
dwelling.  They  were  caught  like  rats  in  a  trap  while 
asleep,  and  when  aid  came  they  were  beyond  all  mortal 
help.  The  policemen  standing  in  the  road  with  drawn 
sabers  suddenly  ordered  the  crowd  to  run  for  their  lives, 
which  they  did  in  all  directions.  An  intonation  like  the 
sound  of  a  cannon  boomed,  followed  by  two  or  three 
sharper  reports.     Impossible  for  the  firemen  to  stop  the 


Scenery  on  the  Railroad  Between  Osomo  and  Puerto  Montt 

fire  which  was  spreading  to  all  the  neighboring  closely 
packed  frame  dwellings,  the  police  had  started  dynamit- 
ing. This  last  process  which  was  successful  claimed  an- 
other victim  and  blinded  another  person.  I  saw  the  remains 
of  the  dynamite  victim ;  what  remained  of  him  resembled  a 
pudding.  No  vestige  of  either  teeth  or  bones  was  found 
of  the  four  persons  who  perished  in  the  fire  and  whose  heart- 
rending screams  are  now  ringing  in  my  ears. 

All  the  small  towns  of  southern  Chile  have  flour  mills 
and  grain  elevators;  throughout  the  countryside  on  the 
farms  and  in  the  towms  are  seen  tall  block  houses,  reminis- 


298  Journeys  and  Experiences 

censes  of  the  days  of  Indian  warfare.  From  Osorno  the 
railroad  continues  ninety-three  miles  southward  to  Puerto 
Montt.  the  terminus  of  the  lonj^itudinal  railroad  south- 
ward. Puerto  Montt,  with  540(S  inhabitants,  is  the  capital 
of  the  Province  of  Llanquihuc.  It  lies  on  the  north  end 
of  Reloncavi  Bay,  694  miles  south  of  Santiago,  and  is  an 
uninteresting  modern  frame  town,  inhabited  mainly  by 
Germans.  When  a  southeaster  blows  the  breakers  beat 
with  terrific  force  against  the  docks. 

Small  vessels  belonging  to  a  local  navigation  firm  ply 
thrice  weekly  between  Puerto  Montt  and  Ancud,  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Province  and  the  Island  of  Chiloe  which  lies 
eighty  miles  to  the  southwest  on  the  extreme  northern 
end  of  the  Chiloe  archipelago,  on  the  Bay  of  Ancud. 
Large  ships  of  the  Compafiia  Sud-Americana  de  Vapores, 
generally  known  as  the  Chilean  Line,  also  make  both 
Puerto  Montt  and  Ancud  weekly,  while  those  of  inter- 
mediate size  sail  from  Puerto  Montt  and  make  all  the  small 
ports  on  the  Gulf  of  Corcovado  en  route  to  Punta  Arenas, 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  following  the  day  that  I 
arrived  in  Puerto  Montt,  I  boarded  the  steamer  Chacao 
in  a  blinding  downpour  of  rain  with  a  ticket  for  Ancud 
which  cost  about  $1.20  in  the  equivalent  of  our  currency. 
The  sea  was  not  rough  but  was  rather  choppy,  while  the 
rain  prevented  the  passengers  from  remaining  on  deck. 
Unfortunately  the  clouds  hung  too  low  to  permit  me  to 
get  a  good  view  of  the  mainland.  The  islands  of  Maillen 
and  Guar  were  skirted  and  three  hours  out  we  anchored  off" 
the  ]Jort  of  Calbuco.  county  seat  of  the  Department  of 
Carehna])u  in  the  Province  of  Llanquihue.  This  town  is 
situated  on  a  i)eninsula  at  the  south  end  of  the  Bay  of 
Reloncavi  and  from  the  steamer  deck  resembled  the 
lumber  villages  of  Puget  Sound.  It  is  connected  with 
Puerto  Montt  by  a  rough  wagon  road  and  there  is  talk  of 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  299 

extending  the  railroad  here,  ahhough  I  can  see  no  reason 
for  its  necessit}',  excepting  that  the  harbor  at  Calbuco  is 
sheltered  while  that  of  Puerto  Montt  is  not.  The  diffi- 
culties of  engineering  and  the  cost  of  construction,  I  im- 
agine, would  never  make  it  pay.  ^Shortly  after  leaving 
Calbuco  we  entered  the  Gulf  of  Ancud  and  after  skirting 
the  south  end  of  Llanquihue  entered  the  narrow  roadstead 
of  Chacao,  and  arrived  at  the  hamlet  of  that  name  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Chacao  was  founded  in 
1567  and  until  about  fifty  years  ago  was  the  principal  port 
of  Chiloe  when  it  was  practically  deserted  in  favor  of 
Ancud  whose  growth  at  that  time  had  been  rapid,  and 
which  owing  to  its  being  a  port  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  was 
fast  getting  the  commerce. 

Ancud  was  reached  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
after  a  trip  that  consumed  eight  hours.  It  lies  at  the 
south  end  of  the  bay  of  the  same  name,  an  mdentation  of 
the  ocean,  and  is  protected  from  the  dreaded  southeasters 
by  a  mountainous  headland  named  Lacui.  The  bay  is 
filling  up  so  fast  with  mud  which  is  washed  into  it  by  the 
rains,  that  vessels  of  large  draught  have  to  anchor  from  one 
to  two  miles  out.  Our  ship  anchored  about  half  a  mile 
out  and  we  were  transferred  to  terra  firma  by  gasoline 
launches.  The  village  has  3424  inhabitants  and  is  a  dirty 
settlement  smelling  of  dried  fish,  built  on  the  side  of  a  hill. 
It  is  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  the  frame  cathedral  being  the 
best  building  in  the  town.  There  is  absolutely  nothing 
to  do  in  the  place  which  for  amusement  has  but  one  moving 
picture  theater.  Numbers  of  mixed  bloods  and  Indians 
are  in  evidence  seemingly  outnumbering  the  whites,  many 
of  the  latter  being  Germans. 

Chiloe  has  an  area  of  8593  square  miles,  being  larger  than 
the  State  of  Massachusetts;  its  population  is  slightly  in 
excess  of  eighty  thousand  inhabitants  many  of  whom  are 


30(^      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

Indians.  These  Indians  are  not  warlike  like  the  Araucan- 
ians  nor  are  their  physiques  as  good.  Their  numbers  are 
on  the  decrease  owing  to  alcoholism  and  to  diseases  which 
always  follow  in  the  wake  of  the  advent  of  the  white  men. 
A  continuation  of  the  Coast  Range,  the  Cordilk  ra  de 
Pinchue  runs  the  extreme  length  of  Chiloe  from  north  to 
south,  its  summits  from  1500  to  2000  feet  in  altitude  being 
near  the  Pacific  Coast  which  is  inhospitable  and  has  no 
harbors.  The  east  coast  of  the  island,  separated  by 
the  thirty-five-mile-wide  Gulfs  of  Ancud  and  Corcovado 
abounds  in  good  harbors  and  it  is  here  that  the  settlements 
are.  These  gulfs  teem  with  small  mountainous  islands, 
most  of  them  being  uninhabited. 

A  railroad  runs  southward  from  Ancud  sixty-five  miles 
to  Castro,  the  distance  being  made  in  four  hours.  There 
are  no  towns  on  the  route  but  numerous  stops  are  made  at 
small  settlements  such  as  Quichitue,  Puntra,  Quildico,  and 
Dalcahue.  Midway  between  Ancud  and  Castro  are  the 
Puntra  and  Putalcura  River  valleys  of  great  fertility. 
Here  are  many  farmhouses  w4th  fields  of  green  oats  and 
with  pastures  of  clover  in  which  feed  droves  of  cattle  and 
swine.  Hides  are  one  of  the  chief  exports  of  the  island. 
Where  there  aie  no  clearings  the  forests  are  primeval 
and  are  beautiful  in  their  green  coloring.  It  is  a  dripping 
forest  of  moisture  with  lianas,  giant  ferns,  purple  and 
crimson  fuchsias,  and  species  of  orchids.  The  bark  of  the 
tree  trunks  and  of  the  windfalls  are  covered  with  inch- 
deep  moss.  The  density  of  the  woods  and  the  exuberance 
of  plant  growth  is  the  nearest  approach  to  a  tropical  forest 
imaginable  in  a  temperate  zone  for  the  whole  island  of 
Chiloe  lies  south  of  Latitude  42°  South. 

Next  to  Ancud,  the  most  important  place  on  the  island 
is  Castro  which  was  the  capital  until  1834.  It  is  the  old- 
est town  on  Chiloe  and  here  the  Spaniards  made  their  last 


Indian  Belles,  Chiloe  Island,  Chile 


302  Journeys  and  Experiences 

stand.  It  is  a  well-built  village  of  1243  inhabitants,  situ- 
ated on  the  west  side  of  the  long  and  narrow  Putemun  Bay, 
and  is  well  sheltered  from  the  winds  by  the  ten-mile-distant 
mountains  to  the  west.  It  consists  of  several  parallel 
streets  running  lengthwise  along  the  bay.  A  wagon 
road  runs  southeastward  from  here  about  thirty  miles  to 
the  settlement  of  Ahoni.  I  only  remained  a  few  hours  in 
Castro  because  there  arrived  in  the  afternoon  a  steamer 
from  Punta  Arenas  on  its  way  to  Puerto  Montt.  Its 
route  lay  through  the  channel  which  separates  the  large 
•island  of  Lemui  from  Chiloe,  and  then  took  a  course 
eastward  between  several  islands  and  rounded  Cape 
Chegian  at  the  southeastern  extrcmit}'  of  Quinchao  Island. 
This  last  mentioned  island  is  about  twenty  miles  long  and 
is  very  narrow  excepting  at  its  northwestern  end  where  it 
broadens  out,  and  is  separated  from  Chiloe  by  the  Strait 
of  Quinchao.  It  and  an  archipelago  of  smaller  islands 
form  a  political  department  of  which  the  town  of  Achao, 
where  we  anchored  at  dusk,  is  the  county  seat.  Achao  has 
a  population  of  1571  inhabitants  and  has  taken  away  much 
of  Castro's  former  trade.  It  is  a  long-strung-out  fishing 
village  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  the  forest  on  which  comes  down 
to  the  water's  edge.  Shortly  after  leaving  Achao,  the  ship 
sailed  westward  to  Chiloe  again  and  stopped  at  Dalcahue 
on  the  Strait  of  Quinchao.  Dalcahue  has  a  road  leading 
to  a  three-miles-distant  railroad  station  on  the  Ancud- 
Castro  line.  During  the  night,  Quincavi  was  touched  at 
and  after  a  steam  through  the  Gulf  of  Ancud  and  the  Bay 
of  Reloncavi,  Puerto  Montt  was  again  reached  at  11  a.m. 
It  was  a  nice  clear  morning  and  the  snow-capped  Andes 
on  the  unexplored  mainland  were  resplendent  in  sunlit 
brilliancy. 

On  the  mainland  southeast  of  the  Island  of  Chiloe  is 
Chile's  largest   river,   the    Palena.     It   rises  from   Lake 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   303 

General  Paz,  whose  waters  are  traversed  by  the  inter- 
national boundary  line  of  Argentina  and  Chile;  it  flows 
northward  through  western  Patagonia  and  bending  to  the 
west  after  a  course  of  about  thirty  miles  finally  empties 
itself  into  the  Gulf  of  Corcovado.  North  of  the  Palena 
and  at  its  source,  separated  from  it  by  a  low  range  of  hills 
in  Patagonia,  is  the  Futaleufu  River  whose  origin  is  in  the 
Argentine  Valley  of  the  i6th  of  October.  It  flows  west- 
ward through  the  Andes  into  Lake  Yelcho  which  in  turn 
empties  into  the  Yelcho  River.  This  river  finds  its 
way  into  the  Gulf  of  Corcovado  south  of  the  Quinchao 
Archipelago. 

The  person  who  visits  Chile  and  returns  home  without 
having  seen  the  Llanquihue  lake  region  has  made  his  trip 
in  vain.  Here  is  a  country  as  grand  as  Switzerland, 
which  although  its  mountains  are  not  quite  so  high,  they 
seem  higher  and  are  better  for  vistas  for  the  valleys  are 
lower.  Moreover  the  snow  line  is  here  lower.  In  Sv\^itzer- 
land  one  gets  the  best  views  of  the  giant  peaks  from 
altitudes  of  valley  bottoms  that  are  themselves  six  thou- 
sand feet  and  over  above  sea  level ;  here  one  gets  the  same 
view  from  low-lying  rivers  and  lakes  which  makes  the  sheer 
abruptness  grander.  There  are  no  great  thick  forests  in 
Switzerland  which  are  here  omnipresent,  garbing  the 
mountain  sides  from  the  barren,  snow-capped  peaks  down 
to  the  very  water's  edge.  This  Llanquihue  country  is 
beginning  to  become  popular  with  excursionists  and  it 
will  not  be  long  before  it  will  be  one  of  the  world's  famous 
playgrounds. 

Twenty-one  miles  north  of  Puerto  Montt  on  the  rail- 
road to  Osorno  is  the  large  triangular  Lake  Llanquihue, 
much  indented  with  bays  and  coves  on  its  western  shore. 
Its  breadth  is  over  thirty  miles,  and  it  is  the  largest  fresh- 
water lake  in  Chile.     Its  outlet  is  the  Maullin  River  which 


^o4  Journeys  and  Experiences 

flows  in  a  southwesterly  direction  into  the  ocean  to  the 
north  of  the  Bay  of  Ancud.  The  scenery  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  lake  is  most  charming.  The  west  and  north 
shores  is  a  rolling  country  much  of  which  is  cleared  into 
farms,  well  kept  up  and  showing  a  high  degree  of  prosper- 
ity.    From  the  south  shore  rises  a  steep  incline  tapering 


Lake  Todos  Santos  from  Petrohue 


towards  the  top  into  the  conical  snow-capped  volcano, 
Calbuco,  whose  low^er  reaches  are  embowered  in  forests  of 
hardwood.  Many  small  streams  rush  from  its  sides  and 
pour  into  the  lake.  At  the  eastern  extremity  rises  the 
mighty,  majestic  dome  of  the  volcano,  Osorno,  rising 
8645  feet,  nearly  perpendicularly  from  the  clear  w^aters. 

Puerto  Varas  at  the  southwestern  end  of  the  lake  is  the 
summer  resort  where  the  travellers  leave  the  train.  It  is 
a  clean  little  village  of  frame  houses  in  the  heart  of  a  coun- 
try renowned  for  its  frutillas,  or  diminutive  wild  straw- 
l^erry  which  grows  here  in  abundance,  and  whose  name 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  305 

should  not  be  confounded  with  fresas,  which  is  the  name 
for  the  strawberry  of  larger  size  which  we  are  acquainted 
with.  The  whole  region  is  a  German  settlement,  and  this 
is  especially  true  at  Puerto  Varas  where  scarcely  anybody 
of  any  other  nationality  is  seen  excepting  some  of  the 
laborers.  The  Bellavista  is  the  best  hotel.  It  is  a  clean, 
comfortable  house  where  the  proprietor  is  a  professional 
landscape  photographer.  Transportation  of  passengers 
to  San  Carlos  de  Bariloche  in  Argentina  is  effected  thrice 
weekly  during  the  summer  season  and  once  a  week  the 
remainder  of  the  year.  A  little  steamer  belonging  to  the 
South  Andes  Transportation  Company  leaves  Puerto 
Varas  at  8  a.m.,  and  after  a  four  hours'  steam  across  the 
placid  waters  of  Lake  Llanquihue  brings  one  at  Ensenada 
at  the  base  of  Mount  Osorno  in  time  for  luncheon.  Here 
one  now  has  the  choice  of  a  carriage  or  horseback  ride  to 
the  twelve -mile -distant  Lake  of  Todos  Santos  (All  Saints). 
This  short  journey  crosses  a  saddle  of  the  divide  between 
Lake  Llanquihue  and  the  valley  of  the  Petrohue  River,  of 
which  Lake  Todos  Santos  and  its  tributaries  are  its  source. 
This  ride  is  over  a  road  which  in  wet  seasons  is  poor  and 
full  of  ruts  but  is  decidedly  charming  on  account  of  the 
darkness  of  the  forest  which  comes  down  to  both  sides  of  it. 
The  Petrohue  River  of  unsurpassing  beauty  winds  in  a 
gorge  between  the  high  Santo  Domingo  Mountain  and 
the  Calbuco  Volcano,  and  empties  itself  into  the  fiord 
like  Reloncavi  River.  Behind  a  mountain  chain  to  the 
west  of  which  Calbuco  is  the  culminating  pinnacle,  is  the 
large  and  beautiful  Lake  Chapo,  nearly  inaccessible  owing 
to  the  steepness  of  the  mountain  sides  which  have  to  be 
climed  first  in  order  to  get  a  view  of  it. 

At  Petrochue  which  is  reached  at  3  p.m.  there  is  nothing 
but  a  dock  from  which  one  embarks  on  another  small 
steamer  that  takes  one  in  four  hours  more  to  Puella  at  the 


3o6  Journeys  and  Experiences 


eastern  end  of  Todos  Santos  Lake.  The  lake  is  long  and 
narrow  with  several  arms  running  like  the  legs  of  a  spider 
up  into  the  pockets  of  tlic  mountains  which  are  formed  as 
their  sides  dip  to  unite  with  one  another.  The  verdure  of 
the  forests  is  daric  and  primeval,  while  the  water  itself  is 
dark  blue  with  barely  a  ripple  on  its  surface.     The  appear- 


Puella 

ance  of  the  entire  landscape  is  somber  and  mysterious.  A 
small  round  island,  named  Isla  de  las  Cabras,  rises  precipi- 
tously in  woodland  glory  from  the  center  of  the  lake. 
Ever  present  in  the  distance  are  snow-crowned  domes, 
those  of  Osorno  and  Santo  Domingo  behind  us  to  the  west, 
while  in  front  of  us  rises  the  awe-inspiring  rugged  peak  of 
FA  Tronador  (the  Thunderer)  white  in  its  icy  altitude  of 
glaciers.  At  Puella  is  a  primitive  hotel  where  the  traveller 
stops  for  the  night.     This  place  is  at  the  very  foot  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   307 

Thunderer,  so  named  from  the  loud  intonations  caused  by 
the  glaciers  breaking  off  at  their  edges  and  falling  with 
roars  into  the  ravines.  El  Tronador  is  11,278  feet  high; 
its  summit  is  only  ten  miles  from  the  deep-lying  lake. 
Thus  one  can  imagine  its  great  perpendicular  steepness. 
This  continues  downward  for  an  infinite  depth  in  the  lake, 
whose  banks  are  so  sheer  in  many  places  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  obtain  a  foothold.  The  bottom  of  Todos  vSantos 
Lake  has  never  been  found  although  it  is  believed  to 
exceed  a  thousand  feet  in  depth.  The  water  made  by 
mountain  springs  and  eternal  snows  is  so  cold  that  swim- 
ming is  impossible.  About  a  third  of  a  mile  from  the 
hotel  at  Puella  is  a  large  waterfall,  while  at  frequent  inter- 
vals throughout  the  sublime  landscape  are  numerous  falls 
and  cascades. 

Taking  an  early  start  from  Puella,  one  arrives  by  carri- 
age or  mules  in  two  and  a  half  hours'  time  at  Casa-Pangue, 
a  small  frame  chalet  where  are  stationed  the  Chilean 
custom-house  officers.  From  here  to  the  international 
boundary  at  the  top  of  the  divide  is  an  ascent  of  about 
two  thousand  feet,  the  road  lying  through  a  thick  forest. 
It  takes  two  hours  to  reach  the  summit  where  there  is  an 
iron  post  with  a  sign  on  one  side  of  which  is  the  word  Chile 
while  on  the  other  side  is  Argentina.  The  divide  is  cov- 
ered with  snow  from  May  till  September  which  on  the 
hillsides  reaches  a  great  depth.  Not  far  from  the  inter- 
national boundary  marker  on  the  descent  is  a  crude 
wooden  cross,  which  denotes  the  burial  place  of  workmen 
who  died  in  a  snowstorm  while  constructing  the  road. 

About  halfway  down  the  descent  one  suddenly  perceives 
through  the  thick  foliage  the  turquoise  blue  of  Lake  Frio. 
This  lake  fed  by  the  torrential  Frio  River  derives  its  name 
from  the  frigidity  of  its  waters  whose  origin  is  the  glacier 
on  the  east  slopes  of  El  Tronador.     A  launch  is  waiting  at 


308 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


a  pier  to  ferry  passengers  across  it  which  takes  about 
twenty  minutes.  A  road  follows  the  left  bank  of  the  lake, 
but  it  is  not  passable  for  carriages ;  it  is  used  now  for  freight 
only.     Rounded  rails  lie  on  it  parallel  to  each  other  and 


El  Tronador,  Chile 

As  seen  from  Casa-Pangue 


over  them  pass  the  concave  surfaces  of  bullock  carts.  All 
passengers  were  formerly  transported  this  way.  A  couple 
of  miles  beyond  Lake  Frio  the  western  extremity  of  Lake 
Nahuel  Huapi,  Argentina's  largest  lake  is  reached  at  the 
hamlet  of  Puerto  Blest  by  means  of  a  mule -back  ride. 

Puerto  Blest  consists  only  of  a  dock  and  a  frame  build- 
ing which  is  the  rest  house  for  travelers  and  which  is 
owned  by  the   South  Andes  Transportation   Company. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  309 

Here  one  stops  for  the  night  to  continue  on  the  following 
morning  the  four-hours'  steamer  trip  to  the  thirty-mile - 
distant  Argentine  town  of  San  Carlos  de  Bariloche.  Lake 
Nahuel  Huapi  is  over  fifty  miles  long  by  seven  miles  wide 
at  its  broadest  place,  and  is  very  irregular  in  shape,  having 
many  antennae  or  arms  which  reach  into  the  mountain 
depressions.  In  its  center  is  a  large  island  whose  proper 
name  is  Victoria  Island.  It  is  long,  wooded,  and  moun- 
tainous and  comprises  about  ten  thousand  acres.  The  Chil- 
eans call  it  Menendez  Island  after  the  wealthy  family  of 
Menendez  whose  seat  is  in  Punta  Arenas,  and  who  for- 
merly owned  much  property  across  the  Chilean  frontier 
not  far  from  the  lake.  The  Argentine  government  made  a 
present  of  this  island  to  a  Sefior  Anchorena  of  Buenos 
Aires  upon  condition  that  in  ten  years  time  he  would 
expend  on  it  for  improvements  eighty-eight  thousand 
dollars  which  was  the  amount  that  they  considered  it 
worth.  His  own  idea,  which  he  has  carried  out,  was  to 
make  Victoria  Island  a  private  game  reservation  and  to 
this  end  he  has  imported  wild  animals  from  the  north  of 
Europe  which  have  here  thrived  and  propagated.  It 
abounds  in  deer,  huanacos,  and  pheasants,  but  so  far  he 
has  not  improved  it  commercially. 

The  farther  eastward  that  one  goes  on  Lake  Nahuel 
Huapi,  the  less  beautiful  and  interesting  the  scenery 
becomes.  The  mountains  become  lower,  rockier,  and  more 
treeless,  until  the  trees  become  stunted  and  finally  dis- 
appear so  that  the  eastern  end  of  the  lake  instead  of  having 
the  beautiful  sylvan  nature  that  was  omnipresent  in  Chile 
has  now  the  sterile  aspect  of  the  west  end  of  the  Argentina 
pampa  with  barren  mountains  and  plains  of  dried  grass. 
San  Carlos  de  Bariloche  is  a  lonesome,  God-forsaken  vil- 
lage of  about  five  hundred  inhabitants  on  the  south  shore 
of  the  lake.     On  the  wide  semblance  of  a  street  are  rough 


310      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

brick,  adobe,  and  frame  buildings  with  two  churches,  a 
parochial  school,  a  bank,  and  a  government  office.  The 
inn  which  goes  by  the  name  of  Hotel  Perito-lMoreno  is  as 
much  a  disgrace  to  a  hostelry  as  San  Carlos  de  Bariloche 
is  to  the  name  town.  The  paper  was  falling  off  the  walls 
and  the  broken  windowpanes  were  repaired  by  having 
newspapers  pasted  over  the  apertures.  Straw  mattresses 
with  blankets,  which  I  imagine  teemed  with  vermin,  took 
the  }3lace  of  regular  beds,  while  the  food  was  so  execrable 
that  it  was  nauseating.  As  the  place  is  rarely  visited  by 
anybody  excepting  cattle -buyers,  it  is  not  supposed  to  be 
up  to  date. 

The  inhabitants  of  wind-swept  San  Carlos,  however, 
are  not  complaining.  They  have  passed  that  stage  and 
have  resigned  themselves  to  face  whatever  misery  might 
present  itself  to  them.  There  is  talk  of  the  Southern 
Railroad  continuing  from  Neuquen  to  make  the  town  its 
terminus.  This  woiild  effect  another  Transadine  route 
and  open  up  the  country  to  civilization.  Not  far  from 
San  Carlos  de  Bariloche  the  Prince  of  Schaumburg-Lippe 
has  an  eighty-thousand-acre  ranch.  It  is  said  that  he 
bought  this  to  make  his  home  on  in  case  he  should  be 
deposed  in  Germany.  For  manager  he  has  Baron  von 
Billow,  the  nephew  of  the  former  Chancellor  of  the  Ger- 
man Empire. 


m 


311 


CHAPTER  XI 

CHILLAN.       ASCENT  OF  VOLCANO  CHILLAN 

While  in  Santiago  in  191 5  I  met  at  the  Hotel  Ocldo,  a 
Senor  Hugo  Gumprecht  who  was  a  guest  there.  He  is  a 
German  by  birth,  but  in  his  youth  emigrated  to  Australia 
where  he  married,  became  a  naturalized  British  subject, 
and  lived  there  for  some  time.  He  then  went  to  South 
Africa  and  at  the  time  of  the  Boer  War  enlisted  in  the 
British  Army,  became  an  officer,  and  received  the  Victoria 
Cross.  When  the  war  was  over  he  went  to  Argentina  and 
in  the  village  of  General  Alvear  in  the  Province  of  Men- 
doza,  started  a  hardware  store.  Here  he  became  natural- 
ized as  a  citizen  of  the  Argentine  Republic  and  lived  there 
up  to  a  few  days  previous  to  my  meeting  him.  Business 
had  become  dull  in  Argentina  and  as  he  is  an  experienced 
engineer  he  went  to  Chile  to  see  if  there  was  an  opening 
for  him  there  in  his  line,  in  the  meantime  leaving  his  family 
in  Argentina  until  he  would  establish  himself.  He  is  an 
educated  man  about  forty-eight  years  old,  is  comfortably 
well  off,  and  in  appearance  is  a  double  of  Lloyd  George,  or 
rather  looks  like  the  pictures  of  Lloyd  George  that  were 
taken  ten  years  ago.  When  I  returned  to  Santiago  in 
191 6,  Gumprecht  was  still  in  Santiago  but  living  in  a  pri- 
vate house.  As  he  had  not  yet  found  anything  to  his 
liking,  he  was  about  to  make  some  trips  to  different  parts 
of  the  republic  to  see  what  there  was  doing.      I  intended 

312 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile      313 

visiting  the  baths  of  Chilian  out  of  curiosity  and  invited 
him  to  join  me,  which  he  did.  I  have  never  yet  found  a 
person  that  I  have  cared  more  to  travel  with  than  with 
him. 

One  morning  we  left  Santiago  and  eleven  hours  later 
found  ourselves  in  the  253-miles-distant  Nuble  metropolis. 
Owing  to  an  excess  of  traffic  the  train  was  two  hours  late. 
From  the  train  in  the  afternoon  we  saw  the  irregular  peak 
of  the  volcano  Yeguas,  11,885  f^et  high,  in  the  Linares 
Andes  on  the  eastern  horizon ;  soon  afterwards  appeared  in 
the  hazy  background  the  volcano  Chilian,  9438  feet  high, 
whose  whole  conical  contour  is  perpetually  covered  with 
snow.  Seen  at  the  setting  of  the  autumn  sun  the  central 
valley  of  Chile  presents  a  view  so  pastorally  charming 
that  its  replica  is  difficult  to  be  conjured  by  the  imagina- 
tion. Broad  fields  of  melons,  intermingled  with  vine- 
yards and  separated  from  each  other  by  rows  of  Lombardy 
poplars  and  blackberry  hedges,  decked  the  valley  floor. 
On  the  western  horizon  rises  a  chain  of  hills,  which  occa- 
sionally has  an  outcrop  in  the  form  of  an  isolated  mountain. 
The  sun,  which  had  just  sunk  behind  them,  made  the  sky 
saffron,  as  its  rays,  invisible  behind  the  western  peaks, 
played  upon  the  snowy  summits  of  the  Andes  to  the 
east. 

The  crowd  on  the  platform  at  the  covered  train  shed  of 
the  Chilian  station  is  the  most  animated  to  be  found  at  any 
railroad  station  in  Chile  with  the  possible  exception  of  that 
at  Llai-Llai.  Landscape  gardeners  have  endeavored  to 
enhance  the  depot  approach  by  planting  cedar  trees 
in  square  holes  in  the  middle  of  the  sidewalk.  These 
trees  have  attained  the  growth  of  three  feet.  Leaving 
the  depot,  Gumprecht  was  walking  on  my  left.  Presently 
he  uttered  an  oath  and  upon  my  looking  around  I  w^as  just 
in  time  to  see  his  carcass  take  a  plunge  and  land  on  his 


314  Journeys  and  Experiences 


belly  in  front  of  the  astonished  crowd.  When  he  picked 
himself  up,  he  said : 

"I  felt  something  rise  between  my  legs  and  I  jumped, 
but  it  was  this  verdammter  tree.  " 

Chilian  is  the  capital  of  the  Province  of  Nuble,  and 
has  a  population  of  39,113,  being  the  seventh  city  of 
Chile.     Next  to  Santiago  and  Talca  it  is  the  largest  city 


Plaza  O  'Higgins,  Chilian 

in  the  central  valley.  It  would  be  larger  than  Talca  if  it 
took  in  its  suburb,  Chilian  Viejo.  But  although  a  paucity 
of  manufacturing  is  done,  it  owes  its  existence  as  a  market 
town  to  its  being  the  center  of  an  agricultural  district 
to  which  it  is  the  distributing  point.  There  are  but  few 
foreigners,  unlike  the  towns  farther  south,  so  that  the  city 
is  essentially  Chilean  and  here  native  life  and  customs 
can  be  seen  and  studied  at  their  best.  There  are  several 
specialties  of  home-made  manufacture  that  owe  their 
origin  to  Chilian,  preeminent  among  which  are  untanned 
leather  accouterments  and  caparisons  for  the  equine  and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  315 

muline  genera,  such  as  bridles,  whips,  and  spur  leathers. 
Chilian  pottery  is  famous  throughout  the  republic.  It  is 
black,  thin,  and  brittle,  and  is  invariably  adorned  with 
scroll  work  of  pink,  lemon,  or  white.  Last  in  importance 
is  the  charcoal  fan,  woven  by  natives  from  corn  husks. 
The  brewery  of  Julius  Jenson  is  not  large  enough  to  play  a 
role  in  the  financial  equilibrium  of  the  place  for  its  pro- 
prietor brews  but  an  ordinary  beer  for  local  trade. 


Calle  Roble,  Chilian,  Looking  East  from  Calle  Arauco 

Although  the  city  has  no  electrified  street  car  system,  its 
horse  cars  are  a  duplicate  of  the  vSantiago  and  Valparaiso 
trolley  cars.  They  have  double  decks,  the  top  being 
reserved  for  those  who  prefer  to  travel  second  class.  In 
other  means  of  transit  there  is  nothing  to  boast  of.  The 
hacks  are  antiquated,  closed  black  wooden  boxes,  while 
the  saddle  horses  at  the  livery  stables  are  of  the  ante- 
diluvian variety. 

The  main  streets  are  well  paved  with  cobblestones,  but 
the  side  ones  are  poorly  paved  with  small  smooth  stones, 
very  distressing  to  walk  upon  with  thin -soled  shoes.  The 
buildings  are  well  built  and  red  brick  is  more  common  than 


3i6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

in  the  cities  farther  north.  However,  there  are  in  Chilian 
frame  houses,  which  in  the  neighhorhood  of  Santiago  are 
conspicuous  by  their  absence.  There  are  several  plazas, 
but  the  principal  one,  O'Higgins,  is  the  best,  and  in  my 
estimation  is  the  loveliest  in  Chile.  It  has  no  grassy 
sward  but  its  great  trees  give  a  delightful  umbrage  that  is 
refreshing  during  the  heat  of  a  summer  day.  In  this  re- 
spect it  is  not  unlike  the  Plaza  Pringles  in  San  Luis,  Argen- 


Street  in  Chilian 


tina.  A  military  band  j^lays  here  thrice  weekly  at  night 
and  it  is  then  a  treat  for  tired  eyes  to  watch  from  a  bench 
the  procession  of  well-formed  girls  in  the  latest  creations 
pass  b}'  in  review  on  their  corso  around  the  octagonal  park. 
The  market  place,  paved  with  pebbles,  is  a  broad  area, 
bustling  with  life.  Nearly  every  known  variety  of  vege- 
table is  represented,  and  of  such  a  quality  that  I  know 
nowhere  else  where  they  are  excelled  unless  it  is  at  the 
market  at  Belgrade,  Servia.  Chilian  is  the  greatest  onion 
mart  in  South  America,  and  here  are  seen  cartloads  of  that 
nerve-soothing  vegetable  heaped  on  the  ground.  Many 
marketeers  come  to  town  Sunday  afternoon  and  sleep  that 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    317 

night  in  their  stalls  so  as  to  be  alert  with  their  wares  and 
produce  at  daybreak  on  Monday,  on  which  day  the  place 
is  thronged.  On  the  fringe  of  the  area  are  canvas  booths. 
Here  sit  toothless  hags  and  buxom  virgins  offering  for  sale 
at  fabulously  low  prices,  quirts,  riatas,  hobbles,  spur-straps, 
and  other  leathern  productions  of  their  deft  fingers. 
Regarding   hotels,   Chilian   has   some   good   ones,   but 


Market  Place,  Chilian 


unless  the  prospective  lodger  telegraphs  beforehand,  he  is 
likely  to  find  shelter  beneath  a  shade  tree  for  the  rooms 
are  in  constant  demand.  This  speaks  well  of  the  city.  In 
the  summer  the  natural  trade  is  augmented  by  the  tourists 
en  route  to  and  en  retour  from  the  Termas  de  Chilian  (Baths 
of  Chilian;,  a  watering  place,  who  spend  a  night  or  two  in 
the  Nuble  metropolis  in  transit.  At  the  exit  of  the  old- 
fashioned  railway  station,  a  runner  meets  the  stranger 
and  touts  for  the  Hotel  Central,  a  large  new  building,  a 
block  from  the  center  of  the  city. 

I  prefer  the  Hotel  de  France  and  believe  it  is  the  best 


31 8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

in  the  central  valley.  Its  proprietor,  Alonsieur  Pierre 
Heguy,  is  the  super-bantam  cock.  This  handsome  little 
man  with  his  coal-black  beard  trimmed  to  a  goatee  meets 
you  at  the  door  with  a  smile  and  a  bow.  "  Voild,  mon- 
sieur, "  he  says,  and  with  a  stately  sweeping  gesture  he 
stands  aside  to  allow  you  to  inspect  the  best  hotel  bedroom 
in  Chile.  His  single-story  hotel  is  of  frame  and  adobe. 
"But  what  does  that  matter?"  he  inquires  and  then 
concludes:  "In  case  of  fire  or  earthquake  it  is  much 
safer  than  the  stupendous  Hotel  Central.  Moreover,  do 
water  colors  and  oil  paintings  of  landscapes  adorn  the 
walls  of  the  bedrooms  at  the  Central  the  same  as  in  the 
Hotel  de  France?  Have  the  Jews  at  the  Central  any 
knowledge  of  liqueurs  and  champagne?  Saprisfi,  no!" 
and  then  he  spat. 

My  bedroom  on  the  street  corner  was  grand  and  large 
enough  to  house  the  august  presence  of  an  emperor  and  for  it 
I  paid  the  equivalent  of  $3.40  a  day,  which  included  meals. 
The  carpet  w^as  of  the  old-fashioned  kind  with  pink  roses 
whose  replicas  are  only  found  to-day  in  the  farmhouses 
and  in  the  old  residences  of  the  country  towns  whose 
furnishing  dates  back  two  generations.  The  massive 
wooden  washstand  with  mirror,  chest  of  drawers,  and  the 
bedstand  were  all  crowned  with  marble  slabs.  The  bed 
was  a  four-poster  and  the  "crazy  quilt"  was  that  of 
bygone  days.  The  same  bed  that  I  occupied  probably 
once  creaked  under  the  weight  of  Lady  Brassey's  expatri- 
ated figure  when  she  visited  Chilian,  having  left  the  yacht 
Smiheam  at  Talcahuano. 

The  cuisine  is  perfect  and  the  liquid  refreshments  are  of 
the  finest  quality.  Monsieur  Heguy  is  a  connoisseur  of 
those  substances  which  tickle  the  palate.  He  does  not 
indulge  in  liquid  refreshment.  He  did  so  when  I  first 
made  his  acquaintance  in  1913  but  had  to  quit  as  it  was 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   :v<; 

injuring  his  health.  At  the  time  of  my  previous  acquaint- 
ance with  him  he  would  drink  everything  on  the  bill  of 
fare  as  long  as  somebody  else  was  paying  for  it,  but  he 
never  treated  when  it  came  his  turn. 

One  night  while  I  was  at  the  Hotel  de  France  there  was 
a  temblor  or  slight  earthquake.  I  was  awakened  from 
a  sound  sleep  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  midnight  by  a 
noise  at  my  door  as  if  somebody  was  trying  to  break  into 
my  room.  Lighting  a  candle  I  saw  that  the  key  tag  was 
ratthng.  I  yelled  out,  "Who's  there?"  and  opened  the 
door  but  saw  nobody.  I  jumped  back  into  the  bed  again 
but  no  sooner  had  I  done  so  than  I  saw  a  streak  of  light 
underneath  the  door  to  my  right,  and  I  heard  through  the 
open  transom  of  the  door  that  opened  onto  the  patio  th  j 
patter  of  feet  as  they  crossed  the  tiled  walk  and  the  voice 
of  the  young  Englishwoman  who  occupied  the  adjoining 
room  talking  to  her  brother  and  brother-in-law  whose 
room  adjoined  mine  on  the  left. 

"I  think  the  man  next  door"  (meaning  me)  "is  trying 
to  enter  my  room,  "  she  said. 

"Really,  Mary,  you  don't  say  so.  "  I  heard  a  male  voice 
reply. 

' '  What  do  you  think  he  would  do  to  me  if  he  entered  my 
room?"  asked  Mary. 

"I  am  sure  I  do  not  know,  "  the  male  voice  replied. 

"Do  you  think  he  would  murder  me?" 

"Hardly  that,"  was  the  reply.  There  was  a  continu- 
ance of  the  conversation  which  I  could  not  distinctly  un- 
derstand, then  the  same  voice  continued:  "Take  this 
revolver,  and  if  you  hear  any  further  disturbance,  shoot 
through  his  door.  " 

Now  this  was  a  pretty  pickle.  My  bed  was  in  range  of 
a  revolver  shot.  I  thought  that  some  sneak  thief  had  tried 
to  get  into  both  bedrooms  and  had  tried  her  door  as  well  as 


320  Journeys  and  Experiences 

mine.  Mary  had  supposed  that  it  was  I  who  wanted  to 
enter  her  room.  It  happened  that  Mary  was  not  good 
enough  looking  for  me  to  have  any  such  designs  towards 
her.  She  was  sHm  and  angular,  highly  colored  and 
commonplace,  with  a  pointed  nose  and  little  eyes  like  those 
of  a  pig.  I  moved  my  bed  out  of  revolver  range  and  went 
to  bed  again.  The  next  morning  there  was  considerable 
excitement  in  the  town  about  the  temblor,  for  it  was  this 
that  caused  the  rattling  noise  at  the  doors.  I  approached 
Mary  and  her  male  relatives  while  they  were  sitting  in  the 
patio,  and  telling  them  that  I  heard  their  conversation  of 
the  previous  night,  roundly  upbraided  them  for  their 
conduct,  but  like  most  unmannered  persons  they  were 
too  ill-bred  to  apologize. 

Besides  the  Plaza  O'Higgins,  another  beautiful  one  is 
that  named  Victoria  or  Santo  Aldea.  It  is  not  well  kept 
up  because  the  irrigation  ditch  which  runs  along  the  side 
of  an  adjacent  street  often  overflows  and  causes  the  walks 
of  the  plaza  to  receive  a  deluge. 

.Vn  interesting  excursion  on  foot  is  a  visit  to  the  less  than 
a  league  distant  suburb  of  Chilian  Vie  jo  (Old  Chilian). 
This  foul  village  of  five  thousand  inhabitants  was  the 
original  city  before  the  earthquake  of  1833  which  caused 
the  survivors  of  the  catastrophe  to  build  on  the  present 
town  site.  There  was  an  Indian  settlement  here  before  the 
advent  of  the  Spaniards.  The  name  of  their  cacique  was 
Chiquillanes,  from  which  the  name  Chilian  is  derived.  At 
Las  Toscas  Creek  at  the  southern  city  limits  of  Chilian 
the  broad  Avenida  O'Higgins,  which  is  no  more  than  a 
dusty  turnpike,  leads  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  an- 
other creek,  that  of  Paso  Hondo,  on  whose  filthy  banks 
repose  adobe  reconstructions  of  the  original  town.  This 
place  on  the  whole  is  the  most  poverty-stricken  and 
squalid  town  that  I  have  ever  visited,  although  in  this 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   321 

respect  and  in  filth,  it  cannot  compare  with  certain  sec- 
tions and  suburbs  of  stately  Santiago.  It  is  nine  blocks 
wide  with  an  average  of  ten  blocks  long,  has  narrow 
streets  paved  with  sharp  stones  on  which  face  tumbledown 
adobe  hovels.  Its  inhabitants  are  drunken,  and  many 
possess  loathsome  sores  on  their  faces.  The  odors  rising 
from  the  decaying  matter  thrown  from  the  house  doors, 
the  swarms  of  flies,  and  the  full-bellied  whippets  basking  in 
the  sun-baked  offal  make  a  person  ask,  ' '  Can  such  things 
be  possible?"  In  those  parts  of  the  town  where  such 
pleasantries  are  in  the  minimum,  the  air  is  redolent  with 
the  fragrant  odor  of  rats. 

Yet  Chilian  Viejo  is  a  place  of  reverence  in  the  hearts  of 
loyal  and  patriotic  Chilenos,  for  in  this  old  town  was  born 
the  father  of  Chilean  independence,  Bernardo  O'Higgins, 
who  with  the  aid  of  San  Martin  broke  the  Spanish  domin- 
ion in  Chile.  A  school  has  been  built  where  stood  his 
house,  but  a  room  of  the  old  building  has  been  preserved 
with  some  of  his  furniture  and  keepsakes.  A  marble 
tablet  on  the  wall  of  the  school  has  the  following  inscrip- 
tion which  translated  into  English  reads : 

"This  house  entombs  a  subhme  echo,  the  whining  of  a 
little  child  which  was  transformed  into  the  yells  of  victory 
at  Chacabuco  and  Maipo. 

"Here  was  bom  the  father  of  our  Independence,  Don 
Bernardo  O'Higgins,  August  20,  1778. 
"Chileans,  honor  his  memory! 
"Strangers,  remember  our  history!" 
In  the  center  of  the  dusty  ill-kept  plaza  of  the  town, 
abundant  with  giant  ash  and  pepper  trees,   is  another 
memorial  to  this  hero  in  the  form  of  a  bust  on  a  pedestal 
erected  by  a  loving  populace.     Let   it  be  known   that 
Bernard  O'Higgins  was  one  of  the  most  unselfish  and 
lovable   characters   in   military   history.     Born   of   Irish 


322  Journeys  and  Experiences 

parentage  in  the  squalid  village  of  Chilian  \'iejo,  he  do- 
nated his  whole  career  for  the  welfare  of  his  country. 
After  whipping  the  Spaniards  he  was  made  Supreme 
Dictator.  Unlike  most  other  dictators  he  was  not  vain- 
glorious nor  was  he  personally  ambitious  for  power  or 
wealth. 

The  church  on  the  plaza  of  Chilian  Mejo  is  said  to  be 
2S5  years  old. 

The  Province  of  Nuble,  of  which  Chilian  is  the  capital, 


Scene  at  the  Station  at  Pinto 


has  an  area  of  3407  square  miles  and  a  population  of 
166,245,  being  the  fifth  in  Chile  as  to  the  number  of  its 
inhabitants.  Its  eastern  part  is  mountainous  and  very 
sparsely  settled,  the  great  bulk  of  its  population  living 
in  the  highly  cultivated  central  valley.  Its  level  lands 
are  a  fine  rich  country  given  up  to  the  growing  of  cereals, 
principally  wheat,  and  to  all  the  vegetables  known  to  the 
temperate  zone.     There  are  also  many  vineyards. 

The  Baths  of  Chilian,  as  those  hot  springs  are  knowp,  are 
fifty-seven.miles  east  of  the  city  Chilian  at  the  headwaters 
of  Rcncgado  Creek  on  the  slopes  of  the  volcano  Chilian, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    323 

5850  feet  above  sea  level.  One  leaves  Chilian  at  5.30  a.m. 
and  rides  for  two  hours  on  a  light  railway  which  runs  in  a 
sort  of  a  semicircle  eastward  to  the  station  of  Pinto,  a 
distance  of  but  twenty-two  miles.  At  Coihueco,  six  miles 
before  reaching  Pinto,  the  farmers  are  building  a  mutual 
railway  which  will  be  a  branch  of  the  narrow  gauge,  the 
government  furnishing  the  rails.     This  is  being  done  so 


Post  Station  at  La  Dehesa 


that  the  farmers  may  get  their  crops  into  Chilian.  Pinto 
is  a  large  village  lying  about  a  league  south  of  the  railroad 
station  of  the  same  name  across  the  Chilian  River. 

At  Pinto  passengers  change  from  the  train  into  car- 
riages and  are  driven  to  the  three-miles-distant  post  station 
of  La  Dehesa,  where  one  can  either  continue  optionally 
by  a  seven-hour  carriage  drive  to  Las  Termas  (The  Baths) 
or  by  a  continuation  of  the  light  railway  to  the  hamlet  of 
Resinto  and  thence  by  carriage  four  hours  to  Las  Termas. 
The  round  trip  by  carriage  costs  $11.05;  by  train  it  is 
$1 .36  extra.     I  went  by  train  which  took  nearly  four  hours 


3^4 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


on  account  of  the  presence  on  board  of  two  inspectors 
who  had  the  locomotive  stop  every  few  minutes  to  give 
instructions  to  construction  gangs;  from  Resinto  I  went  to 
Las  Termas  by  coach.  The  railroad  followed  the  north 
bank  of  the  Chilian  River  until  the  station  of  Esperanza 
was  reached  where  a  fine  view  of  the  smoking  volcano 


Harvesting  Scene  at  La  Dehesa 


ahead  of  us  was  to  be  had ;  it  then  crossed  the  river  and 
wound  along  a  precipice  up  the  west  bank  of  the  Renegado 
Creek,  which  lay  below  us  in  a  forest  of  oak.  I  rode  on  a 
fiat  car  which  by  means  of  hay  wire  was  coupled  to  the  box 
which  served  as  the  train  coach.  Resinto,  formerly  named 
Posada,  on  account  of  the  former  saloon  and  rest  house 
(which  in  Spanish  is  posada),  is  the  present  terminus  of  the 
light  railway  although  it  is  being  continued  so  that  in  this 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   325 

year  (191 8)  it  is  expected  that  it  will  be  opened  to  traffic 
as  far  as  the  corral  of  Las  Trancas.  The  carriage  road  is 
very  rough,  stony,  and  steep,  and  in  some  places  extremely 
dangerous  where  it  winds  around  promontories.  For  the 
first  few  miles  after  leaving  Resinto  it  follows  the  creek 
bed;  at  a  ranch  house  where  guides  are  to  be  obtained  for 
mountain  excursions,  a  trail  leads  off  to  the  south,  which  if 


^w-ii 

!^ 

IPW 

Kk^"' 

!>»^ 

_^ji 

p*s 

HE 

U    ;                 J^j^ 

) 

B 

I^B 

iHi^Hii^  iR^.^^ 

te^ 

wi 

1 

R^ 

Wm 

^ 

m 

Mountain  in  the  Renegade  Canyon,  Chile 

This  mountain  has  its  double  in  the  Martinswand,  near  Zirl,  in  Tirol 


one  follows  it  for  a  day  and  a  half  will  bring  the  traveler 
into  Argentina  over  the  Buraico  Pass.  It  is  only  advisable 
to  cross  the  divide  on  mule  back  on  account  of  the  steep- 
ness. From  the  boundary  a  few  days'  ride  will  bring  one 
to  the  wretched  God-forsaken  Patagonian  settlement  of 
Chos  Malal,  in  the  Argentine  Territory  of  Neuquen. 

The  first  stage  of  the  drive  is  monotonous  although  the 
scenery  is  good.  There  are  a  few  scattered  ranch  houses 
in  openings  in  the  oak  woods ;  the  country  could  scarcely 
be  called  a  forest,  nor  is  it  an  open  country.     Mountains 


326  Journeys  and  Experiences 

come  down  abruptly  to  the  canyon  and  one  of  them  is  a 
double  of  the  Martinswand  near  Zirl  in  Tirol.  The  whole 
trip  is  dusty  in  summer,  which  is  the  only  season  in  which  it 
is  possible  to  visit  Las  Termas.  After  leaving  Las  Tran- 
cas.  the  station  where  the  five  horses  are  changed,  and 
from  which  is  seen  a  silvery  waterfall  several  hundred  feet 
high,  the  road  enters  the  primeval  forest  of  oak,  elm,  and 


Corral  of  Las  Trancas 


laurel,  decidedly  beautiful,  and  then  winds  up  the  cool 
but  dusty  glen  of  the  Renegado,  which  is  fed  by  numerous 
trout  streams.  The  roaring  of  many  cascades  and  water- 
falls is  heard,  the  double  one  of  The  Lions,  an  hour's  ride 
before  Las  Termas  is  reached,  being  the  most  beautiful. 

The  springs,  bathing  establishment,  and  hotel  known  as 
the  Termas  de  Chilian  are  at  the  highest  limit  of  the  tree 
line.  They  are  owned  by  the  municipality  of  Chilian,  and 
at  the  present  time  are  leased  to  a  Basque,  Monsieur 
Bernard  Pagueguy,  the  French  consul  at  Chilian,  for  the 
sum  of  $12,240  for  the  season  of  four  months,  which  is  at 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   327 

the  rate  of  $3060  a  month.  In  order  to  make  a  profit 
Pagueguy  runs  a  gambhng  estabhshment  in  conjunction 
with  the  hostelry.  People  are  not  desired  as  guests  who 
have  no  lust  for  the  green  baize.  Baccarat,  petits  che- 
vaux,  and  slot  machines  operate  at  full  swing  regardless  of 
the  strict  anti-gambling  laws  of  the  country.  A  police- 
man recently  lost  $204,  his  whole  worldly  possessions,  and 


Forest  in  the  Province  of  Nuble,  Chile 


had  to  borrow  $17.50  to  get  away.  While  I  was  at  Las 
Termas  a  man  dropped  $2040  in  one  evening  which  though 
not  much  to  lose  at  either  Montevideo  or  at  Mar  del 
Plata  is  a  fortune  to  lose  in  Chile. 

At  Las  Termas  there  is  a  main  building  and  about  thirty 
huts  called  casuchas,  where  lodgers  room  en  famille. 
There  are  stables  and  a  long  barrack  where  the  peons 
live.  The  bathhouses  are  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  up 
the  ravine. 

The  main  building  is  of  stone  and  is  three  stories  high  in 
front  and  two  stories  high  in  the  rear  as  it  is  built  on  the 


328  Journeys  and  Experiences 

slope  of  the  hill.  Besides  the  dining  room  and  the  coffee 
room,  it  has  a  barber  shop,  telegraph  office,  doctor's  office, 
and  rooms  for  guests.  To  one  side  is  the  administration 
office,  bar.  two  gambling  rooms,  writing  room,  and  kitchen. 
The  ladies  congregate  evenings  in  a  well-furnished  hut 
which  has  for  furniture  red  cloth  covered  chairs,  a  sofa,  and 
a  pianoforte. 

The  casuchas  all  have  at  least  three  connecting  rooms 
and  are  preferable  to  the  main  building.     There  has  been 


Scene  on  the  Road  to  Termas  de  Chilian 


considerable  criticism  in  the  Chilian  newspapers  about  the 
treatment  of  the  peons  at  the  barrack.  These  poor  people, 
afflicted  with  rheumatism  and  other  ailments,  and  too  poor 
to  afford  to  pay  the  regular  price  for  food  and  lodging,  walk 
to  Las  Termas  or  come  a  whole  family  in  an  ox-cart  or  on 
mule  back.  They  tether  their  animals  in  the  woods  or 
turn  them  loose  in  a  corral.  They  bring  their  own  food 
and  bedclothing  with  them  and  pay  eighty-five  cents  a 
day  for  the  privilege  of  shelter.  Sometimes  a  hundred  of 
them  are  jammed  nondescriptly  into  the  dirty  barrack 
which  serves  as  a  dining  room,  kitchen,  and  bedroom  for 
dirty  and  diseased  humanity  of  both  sexes.     Some  of 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   329 

these  poor  fellows  are  seen  nightly  sleeping  hunched  up  on 
the  floor  against  the  walls  of  the  buildings  near  the  kitchen 
and  huddled  close  against  one  another  for  warmth,  for  the 
nights  are  apt  to  be  frightfully  cold.  They  are  unwelcome 
to  the  host  because  they  do  not  gamble. 


,tm<iiiHi, 


."^^S!^^ 


Termas  de  Chilian 


A  steep  climb  takes  one  to  the  bathing  establishment. 
These  are  two  houses,  one  for  a  steam  bath  and  the  other 
for  a  tub  bath.  The  price  of  an  ordinary  bath  is  seven- 
teen cents,  but  there  are  some  private  tub  baths  where  it 
costs  double.  The  waters  are  iron,  manganese,  sulphur, 
mercury,  and  potassium,  such  a  variety  as  these  being 
hard  to  find  in  so  small  a  radius.  Although  the  waters  are 
good  for  rheumatism  and  gastric  troubles  they  are  sup- 


OJ*^ 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


posed  to  cure  syphilis  as  effectively  as  salvarsan.  Alany 
guests  were  here  for  this  last-named  ailment,  although 
they  showed  no  visible  outward  signs.  An  acquaintance, 
a  doctor  from  Rancagua,  was  constantly  urging  me  to  take 
a  mineral  bath,  which  I  refused  at  first  to  do  as  I  thought 
it  best  to  let  well  enough  alone.  By  mountain  climbing 
I  soon  got  so  dirty  that  I  was  obliged  to  indulge  in  one  for 
the  sake  of  cleanliness.     As  I  passed  with  a  towel  over  m}" 


Casuchas  at  Termas  de  Chilian 


arm  by  the  tennis  court  where  a  match  was  in  progress  in 
front  of  a  crowd  of  lad}^  spectators,  the  doctor  saw  me. 
With  a  roar  that  temporarily  stopped  the  game  and  which 
made  me  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  he  bellowed : 

"Ha!  Ha!  Stephens  is  going  to  take  a  bath,  although 
he  advises  against  it.  " 

"Yes,  doctor,"  I  answered,  "I  am  taking  a  bath  for 
cleanliness  sake.    Fortunately  I  am  not  afflicted  with " 

"Syphilis,"  roared  the  doctor,  cutting  me  short,  which 
brought  screams  of  mirth  from  the  spectators,  more  than 
half  of  whom  were  ladies.     I  was  going  to  terminate  my 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   331 

sentence  with  "any  malady"  but  the  doctor  did  not  give 
me  time. 

On  the  mountain  above  the  bathhouses  are  some  mud 
volcanoes  and  steam  spouts  named  fumiroles,  but  they 
cannot  compare  with  those  of  the  Yellowstone. 

On  the  day  of  my  arrival,  I  had  not  been  more  than  ten 
minutes  at  the  hotel  when  an  Englishman  and  a  French- 
man approached  me  and  said  that  they  intended  making 
the  ascent  of  the  volcano  Chilian  the  next  day,  and  having 
heard  that  Gumprecht  and  I  intended  doing  the  same 
thing  thought  that  it  would  be  best  to  arrange  a  party  as 
there  was  but  one  guide  at  the  establishment.  I  said  that 
I  would  decide  later  on  and  let  them  know.  I  did  not 
relish  the  appearance  of  the  Frenchman,  who  had  a  tough 
face,  and  would  have  preferred  to  make  the  ascent  with- 
out his  company,  so  I  went  to  Monsieur  Pagueguy,  the 
lessee  and  administrator,  and  asked  him  if  there  were 
more  guides  than  one.  He  told  me  that  there  were  several. 
This  settled  the  question,  for  I  would  not  be  obliged  then  to 
make  the  ascent  in  company  with  the  "butters  in.  " 

"Why  do  you  not  wish  to  go  with  the  two  gentlemen?" 
inquired  Pagueguy. 

"I  am  not  accustomed  to  forming  acquaintances  with 
strangers  who  force  themselves  upon  me,"  I  answered. 
"Moreover  that  Frenchman  has  a  bad  look.  He  looks 
as  if  he  would  kill  a  man  for  a  five-peso  (87 Kc.)  note." 

"Sacre!  Sacre!"  yelled  Pagueguy,  "he  is  my  brother. 
Sacre !  Sacre ! ' ' 

The  administrator  raved  around  like  a  madman.  I 
told  him  that  it  made  no  difference  whether  it  was  his 
brother  or  not,  and  that  the  proper  thing  for  him  to  have 
done  would  have  been  for  him  to  have  introduced  himself 
in  the  first  place;  that  the  Termas  had  a  bad  reputation 
for  being  a  rendezvous  for  card  sharps,  and  that  since  his 


33-      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

brother  had  the  appearance  of  one,  how  was  I  to  know  the 
difference  ? 

Pagueguy  told  his  brother  and  the  EngHshman  about  it. 
They  caught  me  alone  that  evening  and  tried  to  pick  a 
quarrel  with  me.  The  odds  were  against  me  for  the 
Englishman  was  much  larger  than  I,  and  the  Frenchman 
was  also  a  strong,  powerfully  built  man.  The  loud  alter- 
cation attracted  the  attention  cf  Gumprecht  and  a  Barce- 
lona friend  of  mine  named  Florencio  Prat,  who  both  came 
running  up.  The  tables  were  now  turned  in  my  favor,  so 
my  two  antagonists  prudently  walked  away. 

"I  think  they  mean  to  make  trouble;  let's  follow  them 
and  hear  what  they  say?"  suggested  Prat. 

The  duo  walked  to  a  casucha  and  after  entering  it  closed 
the  door.  We  three  walked  around  the  building  and 
getting  below  an  open  window  did  some  necessary  eaves- 
dropping. It  was  well  that  we  did  so  for  we  heard  them 
planning  to  catch  one  of  us  alone  and  give  the  prospective 
victim  a  beating  up.  It  was  now  time  to  show  our  teeth, 
which  we  did.  Without  knocking  we  entered  the  casucha 
much  to  the  astonishment  of  the  duo  and  told  them  that  if 
they  tried  any  funny  business  we  would  shoot  them  like 
dogs  regardless  of  the  consequences,  and  for  them  to  mind 
their  own  business  as  we  intended  minding  ours,  otherwise 
something  would  happen.  We  also  showed  them  our 
revolvers.     Nothing  more  developed. 

When  (}umi)recht,  Prat,  and  myself  left  early  the  next 
morning  to  make  the  ascent  of  the  volcano  Chilian  we 
took  as  a  guide  a  native  named  Savedra.  The  hotel 
servants  lied  to  us,  telling  us  that  there  was  no  water  to  be 
had  en  route  and  that  wc  had  better  take  along  plenty  of 
liquid  refreshments.  This  is  their  old  trick  of  trying  to  sell 
a  lot  of  beer  and  whiskey.  When  Gumprecht  told  the 
head-waiter  to  put  in  two  drinks  of  whiskey  for  himself, 


Mr.  Henry  Stephens 


Mr.  Hugo  Giunprecht 


333 


334 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


the  knight  of  the  apron  put  in  twelve.  I  saw  it  and  did  not 
like  the  idea  for  I  thought  that  Gumprecht  really  had 
ordered  twelve  shots  of  whiskey  and  was  going  to  go  on  a 
drunk  on  top  of  the  volcano,  which  could  cause  a  mishap. 
As  neither  Prat  nor  myself  drink  whiskey  and  since  I  would 
not  permit  Savedra  to  drink  any,  I  was  horrified  at  Gum- 
precht, for  the  amount  of  spiritus  frumenti  exceeded  a 
quart.     I  approached  him  and  said : 


View  towards  the  Argentine  Frontier  from  the  Slopes  of  Volcano  Chilian 


"What  in  hell  are  you  going  to  drink  those  twelve  shots 
of  whiskey  for?     I  think  it's  a  bad  scheme." 

"I  only  ordered  two  drinks,"  he  replied. 

"The  waiter  put  in  twelve.  " 

"Impossible. " 

"It's  the  truth,  "  I  repHed. 

A  search  of  Savedra's  saddlebag  testified  to  my  state- 
ment.    The  head-waiter  was  brought. 

"I  thought  you  ordered  twelve  drinks,  "  he  said.  Span- 
ish for  twelve  is  ''doce"  and  for  two  is  ''dos,''  the  pro- 
nunciation being  near  enough  for  a  man  to  misunderstand 
purposely.     The  head-waiter  did  this  trick. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   335 

We  left  the  hotel  on  horseback  and  for  the  first  few 
kilometers  it  was  the  steepest  climb  that  I  have  ever  made 
on  the  back  of  an  animal.  The  narrow  path  zigzagged  up 
the  nose  of  a  mountain,  exceedingly  dangerous,  and  as  my 
beast  had  an  English  saddle,  I  several  times  slid  off  onto 
his  rump  while  making  the  ascent.  I  did  not  know  that  it 
was  possible  for  horses  to  climb  like  that,  and  I  thought 


.^ 

--■•-*.? 

^^- 

4Pu 

pjm^ 

^jM 

Glacier  Covered  with  Fresh  Snow  on  the  Volcano 

that    I    had    previously   been    in    very    steep    places    in 
California. 

After  riding  some  distance  we  came  to  a  small  glacier, 
and  dismounted  to  cross  a  creek  at  its  mouth.  The 
horses  were  panting,  puffing,  and  sweating  but  when  we 
came  to  the  creek  Savedra  let  them  drink  all  they  wanted 
of  the  cold  ice  water.  This  astonished  me,  but  he  said 
that  they  were  used  to  it.  This  glacier  was  cavernous  for 
the  stream  flowed  out  of  a  hole  at  its  mouth.  Soon  another 
glacier  was  reached,  this  one  fairly  long,  which  we  crossed 


'>  "> 

oo 


6      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 


and  then  came  out  upon  a  lava  field.  We  had  to  dismount 
before  coming  to  the  lava  field  and  feel  our  way,  for  some 
fresh  snow  had  fallen  on  the  glacier,  which  was  in  some 
places  up  to  the  horses'  belHes.  From  the  lava  field  we  got 
our  first  good  view  of  the  volcano  summit.  It  was  several 
miles  oft'  in  front  of  us  up  a  direct  steep  ascent  over  gla- 
ciers, snow  fields,  lava,  and  ashes.  It  was  in  eruption  and 
was  making  a  terrible  noise.  A  great  column  of  white 
smoke  rose  to  half  a  kilometer  high  until  the  air  currents 
caused  it  to  be  borne  horizontally  away  in  white  cloud 
patches.  I  was  frightened  and  expressed  my  thoughts 
that  we  were  near  enough  to  the  crater. 

"It  is  nothing,  "  said  Savedra. 

"I  am  afraid  of  nothing,"  said  Prat. 

A  league- wide  glacier  stretched  in  front  of  us ;  we  crossed 
it,  keeping  near  the  edge  of  some  lava  fields.  Three  long 
crevasses  crossed  the  glacier,  one  of  which  was  dangerous 
so  w^e  dismounted  and  jumped  it,  holding  the  horses  by  the 
bridle  to  let  them  jump  it.  Prat's  horse  was  the  only 
animal  that  jumped  it  without  either  falling  with  its  fore 
feet  or  hind  feet  into  it.  My  beast  fared  the  worst  and  I 
thought  that  it  was  a  ' '  goner. ' '  The  crevasse  seemed  bot- 
tomless and  to  extend  to  infinity.  The  glare  of  the  sun  on 
the  fresh  snow  was  terrific  and  caused  us  all  to  have  sore  eyes 
which  lasted  several  days  not  to  mention  that  our  faces 
were  burned  so  much  that  the  skin  peeled  off.  The  sky 
appeared  to  be  indigo  instead  of  azure.  Since  leaving  the 
lava  fields  there  had  been  several  volcanic  eruptions  of 
five  minutes'  duration,  each  one  louder  as  we  approached. 
I  had  now  become  used  to  them  and  was  no  longer  afraid. 

Looking  in  any  direction  the  scene  was  enough  to  imbue 
any  mortal  with  a  wholesome  fear  of  God.  Grand  is  not 
the  word  for  the  description;  it  was  superlatively  wild, 
lonesome,  and  awful.     It  is  nearly  impossible  to  realize 


Rim  of  the  Crater  of  Volcano  Chilian  During  Eruption 


Snow  Fields  of  Volcano  Chilian 


337 


338      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

the  terrible  loneliness  and  awesomeness  of  the  great  peaks 
of  the  Andes,  uninhabited  by  man  or  beast  or  bird  which 
mark  the  boundary  between  Central  Chile  and  Northern 
Patagonia,  their  great  snow-clad  serrated  or  conical 
summits  towering  thousands  of  feet  into  the  cloudless 
ether.  The  terrible  view  makes  a  man  feel  his  insigni- 
ficance. I  have  been  to  the  top  of  Misti,  Ararat,  and 
Mont  Blanc,  the  first  mentioned  two  having  an  altitude 
double  that  of  Chilian,  but  from  their  summits  the  view  is 
incomparable  with  that  seen  from  the  mountain  on  whose 
slopes  I  now  was.  To  the  southeast  probably  fifty  miles 
as  a  crow  flies  rose  the  conical  snow-capped  extinct  vol- 
cano of  San  Jose,  and  beyond  it  the  precipitous  anvil  top  of 
twenty  thousand  feet  high  Quemazones  (Burnt  Places) 
inaccessible,  both  lying  in  iVrgentina. 

Early  that  morning  a  certain  Carlos  Michaelis  from 
Punta  Arenas  had  left  the  Termas  on  foot  for  the  summit 
of  the  volcano,  so  after  we  had  gazed  with  astonishment 
upon  the  awe  inspiring  works  of  Nature  just  described,  we 
turned  our  attention  to  the  higher  slopes  of  Chilian  to  see 
if  we  could  see  him,  for  up  to  now  we  had  seen  no  sign  of 
him.  We  finally  saw  a  black  spot  high  up  on  a  snow-field 
which  with  binoculars  proved  to  be  a  man.  He  was  plod- 
ding upward  through  the  thick  snow  laboriously,  and  at 
every  few  steps  he  would  stop. 

The  glacier  now  became  so  steep  that  the  slightest 
stumble  of  one  of  the  horses  could  have  easily  sent  us  rolling 
hundreds  of  feet  down  its  icy  slopes  to  eternity.  We  had 
to  dismount  twice  again  and  feel  our  way  on  account  of  the 
deep  snow  before  we  reached  the  final  lava  field  where 
equestrian  ambulation  had  to  cease. 

Arrived  at  the  end  of  the  trail,  a  kilometer  below  the 
crater,  a  whistling  noise  accompanied  by  steam  rose  again 
from  the  summit ;  then  there  came  sounds  as  of  a  mighty 


From  the  Slopes  of  Volcano  Chilian 


Savedra,  Gumprecht,  and  Prat  on  Lava  Fields  of  Volcano  Chilian 


339 


340  Journeys  and  Experiences 

priming  followed  by  a  fierce  eruption  which  threw  rocks 
as  big  as  bath  tubs  in  all  directions.  Fortunately  they 
did  not  go  far,  but  their  bombardment  was  enough  to  scare 
Prat  who  was  "afraid  of  nothing"  and  also  Savedra  who 
had  previously  said  "It  is  nothing."  These  two  men 
brave  at  a  distance  now  refused  to  go  on,  so  Gumprecht 
and  I  alone  started  on  the  ascent  with  difficulty,  picking 
our  way  among  the  multitude  of  rocks  and  shoe  high  ashes. 
Finally  tired  we  sat  on  a  bowlder  and  waited  for  Michaelis 
whom  we  could  see  a  short  distance  below  us.  When  he 
came  up,  throwing  his  weight  on  his  alpenstock,  we  as- 
cended to  the  crater. 

It  happens  that  this  crater  has  changed  three  times 
during  the  past  year,  and  that  the  present  explosions  do  not 
rise  from  the  crater,  but  from  some  holes  and  fissures  of 
rocks  that  form  the  north  wall  and  which  are  above  it. 
A  new  crater  is  forming  here,  and  although  considerable 
smoke  issues  from  the  regular  one,  the  danger  lies  higher 
up.  At  any  time  there  is  liable  to  be  a  violent  eruption 
and  the  whole  north  wall  w411  then  be  torn  asunder. 

The  crater  is  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  across  with 
precipitous  sides.  I  could  not  see  its  bottom  on  account 
of  the  vapors,  but  the  ledges  of  its  interior  were  piled  high 
with  rocks.  Michaelis  planted  some  trigonometrical  in- 
struments to  take  observations  here,  while  Gumprecht 
and  I  tried  to  climb  the  north  wall.  We  could  now  see 
the  country  to  the  north.  The  high  volcanos  Yeguas, 
Descabezado,  and  Peteroa  were  visible  in  the  blue  distance 
while  near  at  hand  the  detached  white  peak  of  the  Nevado 
de  Chilian,  so  called  from  its  crown  of  perpetual  snow, 
higher  than  the  volcano  soared  its  lofty  dome  into  the 
heavens.  This  is  the  peak  that  is  seen  from  the  floor  of  the 
Central  Valley  and  from  that  distance  it  appears  as  if  the 
smoke  were  issuing  from  it. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    341 

As  Giimprecht  and  I  neared  the  apex,  he  was  overcome 
by  sulphur  fumes  which  issued  from  holes  all  about  us,  and 
was  obliged  to  lie  down.  I  tried  the  ascent  alone,  and  it 
took  me  nearly  twenty  minutes  to  climb  twenty  meters, 
an  average  of  approximately  six  feet  to  the  minute.  This 
slowness  was  due  to  the  slippery  dampness  of  the  ground 
which  was  here  covered  with  a  greenish  mold  caused  by 
its  constant  wetting  by  the  steam.  This  ground  was  so 
hot  that  it  was  nearly  impossible  to  touch  it  with  the  hands 
and  the  intensity  of  the  heat  soon  made  itself  felt  through 
the  soles  of  my  shoes.  I  was  obliged  to  crawl  from  rock  to 
rock.  Eventually  I  arrived  at  a  sort  of  natural  platform 
where  some  previous  explorers  had  placed  a  few  rocks 
denoting  the  limit  of  safety.  This  place  was  about  eight 
yards  from  the  rock  pile  from  which  the  explosions  took 
■place.  The  whole  ground  was  soft.  The  explorers  might 
just  as  well  have  placed  their  small  stone  pile  half  a  mile 
down  the  mountain  side  because  it  is  dangerous  anywhere 
near  the  summit.  A  few  years  ago  some  people  were 
badly  hurt  on  account  of  flying  rocks. 

There  had  been  no  explosion  for  several  minutes,  so 
thinking  I  was  safe  I  sat  down  to  rest.  Suddenly  without 
the  slightest  warning,  and  with  the  most  horrible  roar  that 
I  have  ever  heard,  like  a  mighty  geyser,  the  sulphur  fumes 
shot  upwards  followed  by  a  gush  of  fire  combined  with  a 
pelting  of  large  stones  which  shot  out  of  a  large  hole  with 
the  impetus  of  a  catapult.  The  air  sang  with  inflammable 
material  which  sizzled  as  it  struck  the  wet  rocks.  I 
tried  to  run,  but  fell  and  slid  on  my  bottom  ripping  off 
the  seat  of  my  trousers.  A  rock  hit  me  on  my  right  foot 
which,  although  I  did  not  feel  much  pain  from  it  at  the 
time,  later  on  developed  into  an  ailment  which  several 
times  during  the  two  following  years  kept  me  confined  in 
bed  for  at  least  three  weeks  each  time.     In  less  than  a  few 


34-  Journeys  and  Experiences 

seconds  I  covered  the  distance  to  where  Gumprecht  was 
lying.  1  yelled  to  him  to  hurry  down  the  mountain  to 
save  himself. 

"Vait  a  minute,"  he  yelled,  "I  can't  breath  this  Gott 
damn  schmoke. " 

When  he  got  up  we  hurried  down  the  mountain  in  quick 
time,  stopping  at  the  old  crater  where  Michaelis  was  taking 
observations.  That  man  did  not  return  with  us,  but  waited 
two  hours  until  the  explosions  stopped ;  he  then  ascended 
to  the  stone  pile,  but  no  sooner  had  he  arrived  there  than 
an  explosion  took  place  followed  by  such  a  pelting  that  he 
had  to  remain  until  dark  behind  some  cliffs,  waiting  for  the 
violence  to  diminish. 

When  we  had  descended  to  where  the  horses  were,  Prat 
and  Savedra  rejoiced  upon  seeing  us  return  alive,  for  they 
had  a  fright  on  seeing  me  do  the  slide,  and  later  both 
Gumprecht  and  I  running,  thinking  that  we  were  done  for. 
This  did  not  prevent  Savedra  from  drinking  Gumprecht 's 
whiskey  after  we  had  left  them  to  make  the  ascent. 
We  chided  them  for  their  cowardice  in  not  coming  any 
farther. 

"I  am  too  young  to  die,  "  was  Prat's  excuse.  Savedra 
said  nothing;  he  evidently  could  see  no  reason  why  he 
should  undergo  strenuous  exercise  besides  running  the  risk 
of  getting  blown  up,  when  he  could  see  the  explosions  from 
where  he  was.  It  was  hot  when  we  had  left  Las  Termas 
in  the  morning  and  I  wore  a  summer  suit  of  clothes  and  a 
straw  hat.  Near  the  summit  of  the  volcano  in  snowy 
defiles  where  the  sun  never  reaches  it  was  around  the  zero 
mark  which  I  keenly  felt  if  I  stood  still  a  minute.  When 
we  arrived  back  at  the  hotel,  the  crowd  gathered  around  us 
and  asked  us  all  about  the  trip.  The  Englishman  and  the 
Frenchman  with  whom  we  had  quarreled  started  out  the 
next  day  to  make  the  ascent,  but  overcome  with  a  "streak 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   343 

of  yellow"  went  only  as  far  as  the  end  of  the  glacier. 
Their  game  was  ping-pong. 

When  we  finally  left  Las  Termas  we  walked  to  Resinto, 
a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  and  drove  to  La  Dehesa  stop- 
ping en  route  a  few  minutes  at  the  post  house  of  La  Quila 
to  change  horses.     The  road  is  rocky  and  is  bordered  by 


Mountain  Scenery  and  Waterfall  at  Las  Trancas 

blackberry  bushes  whose  vines  grow  to  a  prodigious  size. 
The  Chilean  blackberry,  named  sarsamorra,  is  different 
from  our  wild  blackberry  in  the  fact  that  it  is  sweeter,  has 
a  milder  flavor  and  in  shape  is  wider,  shorter,  and  rounder. 
When  I  made  this  trip,  the  bushes  were  bent  down  with 
the  weight  of  this  succulent  fruit  which  was  now  ripe. 
The  sarsamorra  is  a  pest  in  Chile,  as  it  springs  up  every- 
where, and  spreading  over  the  fields  is  hard  to  stamp  out. 
It  forms  natural  hedges  for  estate  boundaries  and  field 
limits. 


344  Journeys  and  Experiences 

In  all  this  Nublc  country  overcoats  and  thick  underwear 
come  in  handy.  The  nights  are  cool  in  summer  while  in 
winter  there  is  snow  in  the  hills.  I  saw  people  in  the  plaza 
in  Chilian  in  March,  which  corresponds  to  September  in 
countries  north  of  the  Tropic  of  Cancer,  wearing  over- 
coats. Not  that  it  was  really  cold  enough  to  wear  them, 
but  it  is  a  fad  with  South  Americans  to  don  overcoats  upon 
the  slightest  occasion. 

I  was  obliged  to  stop  a  day  at  the  Hotel  Central  on  my 
return  to  Chilian  owing  to  the  failure  of  the  administration 
of  the  Termas  to  telephone  to  Monsieur  Heguy  reserving 
me  a  room  at  the  Hotel  de  France.  The  Central  is  not 
bad,  but  it  seems  to  have  no  proper  management ;  it  is  a 
costly  establishment  but  is  not  as  clean  as  the  Hotel  de 
France.  As  the  hotel  was  filled,  I  was  obliged  to  sleep  in  a 
sample  room.  Because  I  presented  an  uncouth  appear- 
ance upon  my  arrival,  due  to  a  week's  "roughing  it,"  the 
obsequious  boy  who  acts  as  head  push,  hotel  runner,  etc., 
thought  that  I  was  a  bum  and  intended  giving  me  a  cot  in 
a  room  with  a  couple  of  "drunks"  on  the  top  floor,  to 
which  I  made  serious  objections.  At  the  Central  the 
better  a  person  is  dressed  upon  arrival,  the  better  a  room 
he  gets.  The  size  of  a  piece  of  meat  served  in  the  dining- 
room  is  equal  to  that  of  a  walnut. 

At  Pinto  I  met  Don  Vicente  Mendez  U,  governor  of  the 
Province  of  Nuble.  He  was  returning  from  a  tour  of 
inspection  of  the  farmers'  mutual  railway.  He  was  very 
much  interested  in  North  American  customs  which  he 
wanted  to  see  introduced  in  Chile  especially  in  his  prov- 
ince, chiefly  the  prohibition  propaganda  of  which  he 
had  read  much.  He  thought  that  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  to  have  the  Province  of  Nuble  go  dry  and  advo- 
cated it  strongly.  Later  on  in  conversation  with  him 
when  I  told  him  that  I  was  in  Chile  to  look  the  country 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    345 

over  in  view  of  starting  up  a  new  industry,  stating  that  I 
thought  that  a  brewery  would  pay  in  Chilian,  he  changed 
his  views  and  said  that  it  would  be  quite  the  thing  because 
the  Julius  Jenson  brewery  did  not  do  a  big  enough  business 
to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the  inhabitants,  and  that  the  in- 
habitants of  the  city  had  to  import  beer  from  Valdivia  and 
Talca.  He  made  an  appointment  to  meet  me  the  next 
day  and  brought  with  him  the  mayor  of  the  city  and  some 
of  the  important  officials.  There  was  proposed  to  me 
that  if  I  would  build  a  brewery  in  Chilian,  I  should  receive 
as  a  concession  a  track  of  land  on  the  railroad  besides  an 
exemption  from  taxes  for  a  number  of  years.  They  were 
very  enthusiastic  about  the  proposition.  The  governor 
also  said  that  it  would  pay  in  Chilian  to  found  a  hypothe- 
cary agricultural  bank.  I  doubt  the  feasibility  of  this 
because  crops  often  go  to  waste  on  account  of  no  market. 
My  friend  the  doctor  from  Rancagua  grew  twenty  thou- 
sand bushels  of  barley  in  191 6;  of  this  he  was  only  able  to 
dispose  of  one  carload. 

In  1916  there  was  a  great  railroad  strike  on  the  wState 
Railroads  of  Chile;  owing  to  it  trains  were  invariably  late 
and  did  not  run  nights.  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  stop 
off  overnight  at  Curico  en  route  to  Santiago.  At  the 
stations  of  San  Carlos  and  Villa  Alegre  there  were  enough 
watermelons,  here  called  sandias,  piled  up  to  supply 
the  entire  republic.  There  are  no  freight  sheds  at  the 
stations  large  enough  to  store  the  crops  about  to  be  ex- 
ported, so  it  is  not  uncommon  for  a  farmer  to  have  his 
whole  grain  crop  spoiled  by  rain  as  it  lies  in  sacks  near  the 
platforms. 

We  arrived  at  Curico  at  night  and  stopped  at  the  Hotel 
Curico,  which  is  run  in  connection  with  the  eating-house 
at  the  depot.  It  is  a  large  brick  old-fashioned  building. 
The  daughter  of  the  landlady  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 


34^^      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

girls  I  have  ever  had  the  fortune  of  meeting,  and  in  the 
two  days  that  I  was  there  I  had  a  feehng  for  her  that  can 
be  described  as  infatuation.  She  was  rather  tall  and 
slender  but  well  built,  a  brunette,  and  about  twenty-two 
years  old.  She  was  also  refined  and  possessed  good  sense. 
I  did  not  try  to  become  well  acquainted  with  her  as  I  had 
no  desire  to  play  with  fire,  but  these  attractions  of  hers  I 
was  able  to  perceive  without  intimate  acquaintanceship. 
Curico  is  the  capital  of  the  province  of  the  same  name. 
This  province  and  that  of  Talca  are  the  two  poorest  in 
Central  Chile  in  agriculture,  although  the  land  is  fertile 
and  in  some  parts  is  highly  cultivated.  The  city  lies  in  the 
center  of  the  Central  Valley  and  owing  to  its  geographical 
situation  it  has  become  quite  a  busy  town.  Its  population 
in  191 7  was  22,452  inhabitants  against  17,573  in  1907.  It 
is  the  twelfth  city  of  Chile.  Curico  has  far  better  govern- 
ment, public  and  private  buildings  than  Chilian,  and  its 
main  streets  teem  with  life.  The  streets  are  narrow  and 
are  paved  with  small  sharp  stones.  The  Calle  Prat  is 
the  street  that  leads  to  the  railroad  station  and  is  one  of 
the  main  ones.  Four  blocks  east  of  the  station  it  is  inter- 
sected by  another  main  street  which  runs  north  and  south. 
Following  this  street  south  one  arrives  at  a  beautiful  plaza, 
on  which  is  the  severe  but  stately  Capitol  and  several  other 
large  buildings  which  are  of  the  Georgian  type  of  archi- 
tecture. Besides  the  Hotel  Curico,  there  are  six  or  seven 
other  hotels,  the  Central,  the  Comercio,  etc.  Of  these 
the  Central  is  the  best.  It  has  two  patios  above  one  of 
which  is  a  grape  trellis  from  which,  when  I  saw  it,  dangled 
bunches  of  fruit,  blue,  red,  and  green. 


CHAPTER  XII 

NORTHWARD   TO  AXTOFAGASTA   BY   RAIL.      COPIAPO,   ANTO- 
FAGASTA,  AND  IQUIQUE 

I  REMAINED  a  couple  of  months  in  Santiago  after  return- 
ing from  Chilian  which  I  put  in  profitably  by  making 
excursions  and  foot  tours  to  the  nearby  mountain  canyons, 
visiting  the  small  towns  in  the  neighborhood  and  studying 
the  business  possibilities  of  the  future  as  applied  to  the 
Chilean  capital. 

One  night  as  I  sat  having  my  shoes  shined  in  a  bootblack 
stand  underneath  the  Portal  Fernans  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Plaza  de  Armas,  I  noticed  passing  by  an  Englishman 
named  Greenberg,  an  old  acquaintance  whom  I  last  saw 
in  Arequipa,  Peru,  in  1913.  Greenberg  was  a  salesman 
for  the  Browning  Arms  Company,  originally  hailing  from 
Liverpool  but  had  been  quite  a  few  years  on  the  West 
Coast.  In  Arequipa  we  were  introduced  to  a  wealthy 
family  named  Larramendi  and  were  frequent  guests  at 
their  house.  They  had  three  charming  daughters.  One 
night  while  Greenberg  and  I  were  calling  on  the  Larra- 
mendi girls,  I  overheard  him  proposing  marriage  to  the 
oldest  one,  Felipa.  I  was  considerably  annoyed  at  this 
because  Greenberg  had  already  a  wife  and  children  in  the 
old  country.  I  upbraided  him  for  his  actions  but  was 
surprised  when  he  answered  me  that  he  was  sincere  in  his 
proposal  and  that  since  he  and  his  wife  did  not  get  along 

347 


348  Journeys  and  Experiences 

very  well  together,  he  intended  marrying  Felipa  and 
settling  down  in  Arequipa.  I  knew  that  sooner  or  later 
he  would  be  found  out  and  as  I  did  not  care  to  be  a  witness 


Church  in  San  Felipe 


of  such  an  act  towards  a  family  that  had  shown  me  so 
much  consideration,  I  quietly  left  Arequipa  saying  nothing 
to  Greenberg  about  my  departure. 

Now  after  an  elapse  of  three  years  without  having  heard 
anything  about  the  outcome,  curiosity  got  the  best  of  me 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   349 

so  I  hailed  Greenberg.     I  invited  him  to  a  quiet  cafe  and 
heard  his  story. 

Greenberg  married  Felipa  and  shortly  after  the  mar- 


^JI^MnMi 

1  ■                                   ^ 

1  \.  1 ,  Jw '^^'iRI^K 

W^j^ 

\s  ^ 

■H^^BHH 

ite^" 

HH 

m^Qm^?^^ 

■MR^H 

pPj.  >'»^ff ' ' ^^  ■^^"^ 

HH 

p^^H 

'jJf^^S^^P^^^'Ja'f 

if^ 

1     M    \j,     iWM^r 

Q 

City  Hall,  San  Felipe 


riage,  old  Larramendi  sent  him  with  his  bride  to  live  on  an 
upland  estancia  about  fifty  miles  east  of  Arequipa  in  the 
high  Andes,  which  estancia  Greenberg  became  the  man- 
ager of.  He  had  lived  there  for  two  years  rarely  coming 
to  Arequipa  and  had  become  the  father  of  a  child  by  this 
new  union.  He  made  considerable  money  for  his  father- 
in-law,  who  in  turn  gave  him  no  salary  nor  wages,  and  this 


35^^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

latter  fact  coupled  with  the  life  of  ennui  that  he  was  lead- 
ing caused  him  to  have  a  talk  with  the  old  man  about  his 
future.  He  demanded  a  salary  but  this  Larramendi 
refused  to  give  him  saying  that  he  himself  was  an  old  man 
and  would  not  live  for  more  than  fifteen  years  more,  and 
that  when  he  died  Grcenberg  would  inherit  the  bulk  of  his 
fortune  on  account  of  his  business  ability,  so  what  more 
could  he  ask  for? 

Greenberg  than  told  Larramendi  that  if  a  change  did 
not  immediately  forthcome,  he  would  quit  the  manager- 
ship of  the  estancia  and  would  leave  there  w4th  his  wife 
to  resume  his  old  calling  of  salesman  which  paid  him  well. 

"If  you  do,"  said  Larramendi,  "I  shall  have  you 
arrested  for  bigamy.  " 

"What  is  that  you  said?"  yelled  Greenberg,  scarcely 
believing  his  ow^n  ears. 

Larramendi  then  went  on  and  told  him  that  he  had 
carefully  looked  him  up  before  inviting  him  to  his  house 
and  had  found  out  that  he  w^as  married  and  had  a  wife  and 
children  in  Liverpool  whose  address  he  had.  He  said 
that  he  did  not  care  a  rap  for  that  part  of  the  business  for 
he  wanted  to  see  his  daughters  married  to  Anglo-Saxon 
stock.  "It  will  improve  the  race,"  he  said,  "especially 
that  of  my  own  immediate  family."  He  told  Greenberg 
that  for  this  reason  and  also  for  the  fact  that  he  knew  him 
to  be  a  good  business  man  he  had  urged  the  marriage  and 
was  willing  to  keep  his  mouth  shut  provided  Greenberg 
would  keep  on  living  as  he  had  the  past  two  years,  but 
that  if  he  attempted  to  run  away  he  would  have  him 
arrested  for  bigamy.  Greenberg  returned  home  to  the 
bleak  mountain  estancia  and  confessed  the  whole  thing  to 
Felipa.  She  stood  b}^  him  and  both  thought  out  a  scheme 
to  get  away.  A  year  afterwards  their  plan  matured 
when  Larramendi  was  on  a  business  trip  to  Lima.     They 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    351 

went  to  Bolivia  and  thence  to  Chile  where  Greenberg 
obtained  a  position  as  manager  of  a  mercantile  house  in 
Valparaiso.  Fortunately  for  him,  his  first  wife  not  having 
heard  from  him  in  over  three  years  had  divorced  him  on 
grounds  of  desertion  and  had  married  another  man. 
Greenberg  communicated  this  news  by  letter  to  Larra- 
mendi  who  was  now  inducing  him  by  offers  of  a  most  lu- 
crative salary  to  return  to  Arequipa.  This  Greenberg  had 
so  far  refused  to  consider  because  he  did  not  know  what 
new  trick  Larramendi  had  in  store  for  him. 

"You  were  lucky,  Stephens,"  he  said,  "to  have  left 
Arequipa  when  you  did.  Larramendi  was  planning  to 
catch  you  for  his  youngest  daughter,  and  likewise  had  you 
looked  up.  He  thought  you  would  have  made  a  good 
match  for  her  and  has  many  times  deplored  that  you  went 
away.  He  was  very  fond  of  you  and  I  honestly  believe 
Anastasia loved  you  and  still  hopes  you  will  return.  How- 
ever if  you  married  her,  you  would  be  in  the  same  mess 
that  I  was  in.  Larramendi  is  not  so  old  as  he  likes  to 
make  out  and  I  doubt  if  he  will  cash  in  his  checks  for 
twenty-five  years  yet.  That  is  a  long  time  waiting  for 
dead  men's  shoes.  I  am  satisfied  where  I  am  and  when  I 
reache  d  Chile  I  knew  that  I  was  safe  for  even  if  my  first 
wife  hadn't  obtained  a  divorce  the  Peruvian  extradition 
laws  are  a  joke  and  the  Chilean  government  would  never 
have  given  me  up  to  be  sent  back  to  Peru  to  stand  trial  for 
bigamy  there.  " 

The  time  was  approaching  when  I  had  to  return  to  the 
United  States;  Prat  was  just  as  anxious  to  return  to 
Barcelona,  and  Gumprecht  was  getting  restless  in  Santiago 
and  wanted  to  see  more  of  Chile,  especially  the  northern 
part.  We  accordingly  made  arrangements  to  go  north  by 
rail  taking  our  time  to  the  trip  stopping  off  at  different 
places.     Prat  and  I  had  a  great  impedimenta  of  baggage 


oo- 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


constituting  curiosities  that  we  had  collected  on  our  travels 
besides  live  parrots,  toads,  turtles,  etc.  indigenous  to 
South  America  not  to  mention  a  couple  of  trunks  full  of 
bulbs  and  seeds  which  I  intended  to  experiment  with  by 
planting  at  home.  We  also  had  baskets,  pottery,  and 
Indian  blankets.  We  did  not  care  to  be  encumbered  with 
them  and  as  we  met  a  roustabout  in  ^Santiago  who  was 


vStreet  in  San  Felipe 

recommended  to  us  for  his  honesty,  and  who  was  anxious 
to  get  to  Lima  to  accept  a  position  that  was  offered  him 
there,  but  could  not  make  the  grade  through  lack  of  funds, 
we  told  him  we  would  pay  his  passage  to  that  port  if  he 
would  take  our  baggage  with  him.  This  proposition  he 
jumped  at  so  we  made  arrangements  for  him  to  sail  on  a 
boat  that  was  to  leave  Valparaiso  the  following  month. 
'I'hat  would  make  him  reach  Lima  about  the  same  time 
Prat  and  I  would  arrive.  This  roustabout's  name  was 
Angel  Larrain.  He  was  a  tough  looking  customer  about 
thirty-eight  years  old,  was  broad  shouldered,  and  wore  a 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   353 

full  beard  which  he  seldom  kept  trimmed.  His  facial 
appearance  was  adorned  by  an  ugly  scar  on  his  right  tem- 
ple which  he  received  in  a  saloon  brawl  some  years  pre- 
viously in  one  of  Valparaiso's  waterfront  dives. 

Not  far  out  of  our  route  northward  are  the  Springs  of 
Jahuel  which  are  so  well  known  that  we  determined  to 
take  them  in.  To  reach  them  it  is  first  necessary  to  take 
the  train  to  San  Felipe,  three  hours  distant  from  either  San- 
tiago or  Valparaiso,  and  then  drive  twelve  and  a  half  miles. 


Street  in  Almendraz 

San  Felipe,  with  a  population  of  14,426  inhabitants,  is 
the  capital  and  largest  city  of  the  Province  of  Aconcagua 
which  lies  directly  north  of  the  Province  of  Santiago. 
This  large  province  is  Andine  in  character  although  it 
extends  to  the  ocean  and  in  its  confines  are  the  highest 
mountains  in  Chile.  It  is  semi-arid  although  in  its  nar- 
row valleys  the  largest  vineyards  in  the  republic  are 
located.  It  is  famous  for  its  wines  and  its  chicha.  This 
last  is  a  sort  of  grape  cider,  muddy  brown  in  color,  sweet 
and  heavy  and  is  apt  to  give  the  partaker  indigestion.  It 
should  not  be  confused  with  the  chicha  of  Peru.     Peruvian 


354  Journeys  and  Experiences 

chicha  is  an  alcoholic  beverage  made  from  cereals  and  is 
akin  to  moonshine  or  corn  whiskey. 

San  Felipe  is  a  dull,  old-fashioned  town  with  a  good 
hotel,  the  Europa.  A  couple  of  hours  is  sufficient  to  see 
all  the  attractions  of  the  city  unless  the  visitor  is  religiously 
bent  for  the  city  boasts  of  several  large  churches.  The 
original  city  was  square,  its  sides  being  about  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  long  and  was  bounded  by  an  alameda  with  a 
double  drive  on  each  side  of  a  pedestrian  promenade  in 
the  center.  The  trees  between  the  roads  and  the  walkare 
giant  elms  and  maples.  The  city  has  outgrown  its  original 
boundary  and  extends  some  distance  on  the  outward  sides 
of  the  alameda;  this  growth  has  not  been  recent  as  can  be 
testified  by  the  crumbling  appearance  of  the  houses  which 
are  of  adobe  and  have  a  height  of  but  a  single  story.  The 
appearance  of  the  place  is  that  of  stagnation ;  a  small  brew- 
ery is  the  only  manufacturing  interest  but  like  that  of 
Julius  Jenson  in  Chilian,  its  product  does  not  meet  the 
wants  of  the  local  trade. 

The  plaza  is  lovely  and  cool  which  is  a  great  contrast  to 
the  alameda  where  the  dust  is  insupportable.  In  it  are 
statues  of  mythological  goddesses  which  are  of  Carrara 
marble.  In  its  center  is  a  fountain  surrounded  b}'  a  large 
round  pool  while  in  the  plots  of  earth  grows  a  profusion  of 
calla  lillies.  There  are  also  some  fine  palms  and  a  great 
trumpet  vine.  Situated  on  the  plaza  is  a  big  church. 
It  is  adobe  and  has  a  frame  top  and  steeple.  It  is  painted 
pink,  and  on  its  fagade  cracks  caused  by  an  earthquake  are 
in  evidence.  The  interior  is  poor  and  on  its  walls  hang 
cheap  paintings.  When  any  prominent  citizen  dies  a 
marble  slab  is  mounted  in  the  church  for  his  memory. 
At  the  eastern  end  of  the  city  is  a  papier  mache  imitation 
Grotto  of  Lourdes,  the  alms  box  at  its  gates  being  the  most 
visilile  of  its  sights. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    355 

The  drive  to  Jahuel  is  devoid  of  interest.  For  a  couple 
of  miles  the  road  runs  eastward  along  a  turnpike  bordered 
by  mud  walls  so  high  that  it  is  impossible  to  see  over  them. 
The  dust  is  terrible.  Soon  the  village  of  Almendraz  is 
reached  with  its  narrow  streets,  ancient  yellow  church 
with  a  clock  tower  surmounted  by  a  dome,  and  a  Calvary 
on  a  high  rock  at  the  end  of  the  main  street.  The  turn- 
pike has  swung  to  the  north  and  continues  in  this  direction 
all  the  way  to  Jahuel.  A  large  village  named  Santa 
Marta  is  traversed  and  the  dry  bed  of  a  river  is  followed. 
Although  there  are  plenty  of  small  farms  and  the  land  is 
thickly  settled,  it  is  nevertheless  a  much  poorer  country 
than  in  the  Central  Valley.  The  mountains  are  devoid 
of  all  vegetation  excepting  a  few  sage  bushes  here  and 
there.  In  the  valley  cactuses  are  abundant,  but  every- 
thing has  a  dry,  parched  look. 

Jahuel,  which  is  the  name  given  to  the  hotel,  bathing 
establishment,  and  water  is  the  property  of  Delano  and 
Weinstein  of  Valparaiso.  The  place  is  sadly  overrated. 
The  hotel  building  is  good  and  modern  although  the  food 
at  the  meals  is  scarcely  enough  for  a  mouse ;  the  rooms  are 
small  and  plain,  but  clean.  I  remarked  about  the  scanti- 
ness of  the  meals  to  the  manager.  "We  can't  have  such 
luxuries  as  chicken  every  meal,"  he  replied.  "Nobody 
said  anything  about  chicken,  "  I  retaliated;  "anyhow  who 
considers  that  a  luxury  in  Chile  when  it  is  the  commonest 
of  meat?  What  I  was  kicking  about  is  why  you  don't 
serve  a  square  meal.  "  A  splendid  vista  of  the  Aconcagua 
Valley  at  one's  feet  can  be  had  from  the  terrace  and  the 
verandas. 

The  altitude  of  Jahuel  is  3835  feet  above  sea  level,  but 
strange  to  say  the  nights  are  not  cool.  The  water  comes 
from  the  near  by  Los  Pajaritos  Springs  and  its  bottled 
carbonated  adulteration  is  shipped  all  over  Chile.     There 


356  Journeys  and  Experiences 

is  a  swimming  tank  and  a  sun  bath  at  the  establishment. 
A  South  American  sun  bath  is  a  boarded-in  yard  with 
some  wooden  benches  on  which  people  recline  in  the  Gar- 
den of  Eden  garb.  A  partition  divides  the  sun  bath  into 
spaces  for  both  sexes,  the  men  being  on  one  side  of  the  wall 
and  the  women  on  the  other.  Some  young  Actaeons  had 
placed  a  ladder  against  the  partition  on  the  men's  side  at 


Jahuel 

Jahuel  in  order  to  gaze  upon  the  contours  of  female  figures 
on  the  women's  side. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  nothing  to  see  at  Jahuel. 
In  ten  years'  time  it  may  develop  into  a  lovely  park.  The 
trees  are  too  young  yet  to  afford  shade.  The  lawn  and 
flower  beds  are  well  arranged  but  they  are  now  in  the 
transition  stage  between  a  desert  and  a  garden  spot. 
Many  of  the  famous  California  health  and  society  spots 
to  which  thousands  of  tourists  make  their  invernal  hegira 
were  worse  twenty  years  ago  than  Jahuel  is  to-day.  The 
establishment  savors  of  Teutonic  cliques.     The  majority 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 


oo7 


of  guests  are  of  German  extraction  and  pair  off  into  groups. 
Some  of  the  maidens  that  nightly  promenade  the  terrace 
are  such  past  mistresses  in  the  art  of  cigarette  smoking 
that  their  bodies  and  clothes  reek  with  the  odor  of  nico- 
tine. This  does  not  appear  to  have  the  effect  of  depreciat- 
ing their  charms  for  on  several  occasions  in  the  bosquc 
I  inadvertently  caught  amorous  swains  clandestinely  ex- 
changing kisses  with  these  foul-breathed  virgins. 

One  of  the  great  advertised  sights  is  the  bosque.  The 
word  bosque  means  jungle  of  small  trees.  Trees  are  so 
scarce  in  that  part  of  the  country  that  w'hen  there  is  a 
similacrum  of  one  it  becomes  famous  and  is  advertised. 
This  bosque  is  no  better  than  a  brush  heap  but  it  attracts 
visitors  by  a  well-kept  trail  and  painted  signs.  It  is  dis- 
tant from  the  hotel  by  a  seven  and  a  half  minutes'  walk ; 
nonagenarians  walk  it  in  fifteen  minutes.  The  signs, 
therefore,  read  "To  the  Bosque  of  Quillaye,  15  minutes.  " 
Nonagenarians  leave  more  money  at  Jahuel  than  young 
people  because  the  former  are  so  old  that  they  spend  at 
least  two  weeks  there,  while  the  latter,  driven  to  distrac- 
tion by  ennui  rarely  remain  more  than  a  day,  unless  to 
enjoy  the  attractions  of  the  cigarette-smoking  German 
maidens. 

It  is  possible  to  make  the  trip  from  Santiago  to  Pisagua. 
one  of  the  northernmost  ports  of  Chile  by  rail.  Through 
trains  run  only  as  far  as  Iquique.  It  takes  four  days  this 
way  from  Santiago  to  Iquique  which  includes  a  stop  of 
one  and  a  half  hours  at  Illapel,  a  half  hour's  stop  at  La 
Serena,  two  and  a  half  hours  at  Vallenar,  one  and  a  half 
hours  at  Copiapo,  nine  hours  at  Catalina,  and  four  hours 
at  Baquedano.  Nineteen  and  a  half  hours  are  wasted 
at  these  stations  yet  the  travel  consumes  less  time  than 
that  by  ocean  steamer  from  Valparaiso  to  Iquique.  I 
think  that  I  am  the  first  North  American  not  officiallv 


358  Journeys  and  Experiences 

connected  with  the  railroad  that  made  the  trip  as  far  as 
Antofagasta.  The  through  train  runs  every  Friday,  and 
after  the  first  day  out  the  journey  is  most  tedious  and  ener- 
vating, hot  and  dusty  with  vistas  of  the  most  desolate 
desert  imaginable.  I  broke  the  journey  at  Co])iap6, 
continuing  thence  by  local  trains. 

The  Northern  Longitudinal  Railway  begins  at  the  town 
of  La  Calera  which  is  on  the  Santiago- Valparaiso  Railroad. 
As  far  as  Copiapo  it  is  a  narrow  gauge  but  after  leaving 
that  town  it  has  three  rails  for  some  distance  in  order  to 
carry  both  broad  gauge  and  narrow  gauge  traffic.  The 
original  railroads  of  Chile  which  ran  from  the  interior  to 
the  coast  towns  were  all  broad  gauge  and  as  it  is  cheaper 
to  lay  another  rail  inside  the  already  existing  two  rails 
to  accommodate  narrow  gauge  traffic  than  to  lay  a  new 
roadbed  this  triple  rail  phenomenon  is  met  with  in  many 
places  in  Northern  Chile.  The  train  composed  of  two 
sleepers  and  other  coaches  leaves  La  Calera  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  Santiago-Valparaiso  express.  To  reach  La 
Calera  from  San  Felipe  I  was  obliged  to  change  cars  at 
Llai-Llai  midway  between  Santiago  and  Valparaiso.  The 
first  day's  ride  is  interesting,  although  the  country  is 
sparsely  populated  and  semi-arid.  It  is  a  continuous 
slowly  winding  up  the  canyons,  passing  through  tunnels 
at  the  Coast  Range  summits,  and  a  mad  race  around 
curves  down  other  canyons.  The  first  summit  is  reached 
an  hour  after  leaving  La  Calera ;  the  train  goes  through  a 
tunnel  under  the  pass  of  Palos  Qucmados  and  enters  the 
X^alley  of  La  Ligua.  This  is  followed  upward  to  Cabildo 
where  the  river  is  crossed.  Then  by  means  of  sharp 
zigzags  another  summit  is  reached  and  we  descend  into 
the  fertile  but  narrow  Valley  of  Pctorca.  The  small  city 
of  Petorca  lies  about  fifteen  miles  uj)  the  river  of  the  same 
name  beyond  where  we  turn  up  the  Estero  de  las  Palmas 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    359 

(Palm  Creek).  This  brook  gets  its  name  from  the  great 
abundance  of  palms  which  grow  wild  all  over  the  sides  of 
the  mountains  at  its  source.  There  are  several  of  these 
palmares  in  Chile,  which  are  botanical  freaks  for  this 
particular  mountain  specie  is  found  in  their  natural  state 
nowhere  else  in  South  America.     The  largest  of  these  pal- 


Ocoa 


^ares  is  that  of  Ocoa  near  La  Calera;  another  one  is  at 
Concon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Aconcagua  River.  They 
are  valuable  for  their  honey.  A  hole  is  drilled  into  the  tree 
near  its  base,  a  tube  is  inserted  and  the  sap  is  extracted 
which  is  made  into  honey. 

Across  the  mountains  north  of  the  Estero  de  las  Palmas 
is  the  mournful  desolate  mountain  pocket  of  Tilama,  the 
headwaters  of  the  Quilimari  River.  The  Indians  here- 
abouts weave  rugs,  blankets,  and  table-cloths  of  a  fine 


36o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

durable  texture  which  are  in  great  demand.  They  are 
red  with  white  flower  designs.  The  Tilama  ridge  is 
crossed  and  finally  two  more,  one  to  the  Pupio  River  and 
one  to  the  Choapa  River  before  darkness  sets  in. 

The  Choapa  is  a  fertile  valley  and  the  river  of  the  same 
name  forms  the  boundary  line  between  the  provinces  of 
Aconcagua  and  Choapa.  The  Province  of  Choapa  was 
created  by  an  Act  of  Congress  in  December  191 5,  and  to 
define  it  a  large  area  of  land  was  taken  from  the  southern 
part  of  the  Province  of  Coquimbo.  Up  to  the  time  of 
this  writing  (1918)  the  limits  of  its  various  departments 
have  not  been  defined.  Illapel,  the  new  capital,  on  a 
river  of  the  same  name  was  reached  about  8  p.m.  It  has 
a  population  of  about  five  thousand  inhabitants  and  is 
filled  with  life  owing  to  its  sudden  acquisition  of  impor- 
tance. Salamanca  and  Combarbala  are  the  only  other 
towns  worthy  of  mention  in  the  new  province.  Los  Vilos 
in  the  Province  of  Aconcagua  is  the  seaport  of  Illapel  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  railroad.  I  took  a  walk  up  the 
main  street  of  Illapel.  It  is  an  old-fashioned  town,  very 
long  and  narrow.  Its  houses,  mostly  one  story  in  height, 
are  painted  white.  The  streets  were  crowded  and  a  band 
was  playing. 

I  awoke  the  next  morning  at  Ovalle,  a  growing  stock 
town  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Province  of  Coquimbo. 
It  had  by  the  census  of  1907,  6998  inhabitants  but  I  under- 
stand that  it  has  increased  considerably  in  population  since 
then.  It  lies  on  the  Limari  River  just  below  the  junctions 
of  the  Grande  and  the  Hurtado  rivers  which  uniting  form 
the  Limari.  For  its  port  it  has  Tongoi  on  the  bay  of  the 
same  name  to  which  place  it  is  connected  by  rail,  but  now 
much  of  the  freight  goes  to  Coquimbo.  At  Coquimbo, 
which  was  reached  a  couple  of  hours  later,  I  obtained  my 
first  unhindered  view  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  on  this  South 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    361 

American  trip.  From  Ancud  on  the  Island  of  Chiloe, 
I  could  look  across  the  great  expanse  of  bay  to  the  head- 
lands which  formed  the  promontories  beyond  which  the 
ocean  was,  but  owing  to  the  rain  the  ocean  proper  there  was 
invisible.  Coquimbo  is  a  busy  and  dirty  port  of  12,106 
inhabitants  and  has  no  attractions  such  as  possesses  the 
eight  miles  distant  city  of  La  Serena,  the  capital  of  the 
Province  of  Coquimbo. 

La  Serena  is  named  in  honor  of  the  last  viceroy  of  Peru. 
His  name  means  serene.  The  city  is  also  serene.  It  is 
one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Chile,  has  15,966  inhabitants 
and  is  admirably  situated  on  a  height  of  land  overlooking 
the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the  west  and  the  Elqui  River  to  the 
north.  It  is  a  quiet  town  of  handsome  buildings  and  is  the 
residence  of  many  retired  men  of  wealth  and  of  intellectu- 
als. In  this  respect  it  can  be  compared  with  Parana  in 
Argentina  and  Graz  in  Austria.  Its  population  has 
decreased  slightly  in  recent  years  yet  the  city  is  staple  and 
will  always  remain  so.  Its  only  industry  is  the  Floto 
Brewery.  To  any  Michiganders  reading  this  book,  I 
wish  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  was  visited  in 
1906  by  Hon.  Chase  S.  Osborn.  The  level  country  about 
La  Serena  and  Coquimbo  and  the  neighboring  valleys  are 
fertile  and  well-watered.  Fields  are  given  up  to  the  culti- 
vation of  grain  and  vineyards  abound.  A  native  fruit 
named  the  pepina,  akin  to  the  papaya  is  grown  and  from  it 
a  soft  drink  is  made  which  although  palatable  is  rather 
insipid.  About  twenty  miles  south  of  the  city  among  the 
foothills  is  the  mineral  spring  of  Andacollo  famed  locally, 
while  thirty  miles  north  of  La  Serena  are  the  newly  opened 
iron  mines  of  La  Higuera,  controlled  by  North  American 
capital. 

After  leaving  La  Serena,  the  all-day  ride  northward  to 
Vallenar  is  for  the  main  part  uninteresting  although  it  has  a 


362 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


recompense  in  the  wild  mountain  scenery  when  the  train 
winds  up  the  canyon  known  as  the  Quebrada  del  Potre- 
rillos.  At  nine  o'clock  at  night,  Vallenar  the  second  city 
of  the  Province  of  Atacama  was  arrived  at.  The  train  was 
scheduled  to  remain  here  for  two  and  a  half  hours  but 
there  was  some  trouble  with  the  locomotive  wliich  kept  us 
here  all  night  and  part  of  the  next  morning.     It  happened 


Street  in  Vallenar 


that  a  telegram  had  to  be  sent  to  Coquimbo  for  an  extra 
locomotive  to  be  sent  up  to  Vallenar. 

Vallenar  is  the  original  home  of  the  patio  process  for  the 
extraction  of  silver  from  the  ore  by  means  of  crushing. 
Mercury  is  added  forming  an  amalgam  and  the  silver  is 
obtained  by  heating  the  amalgam,  which  evaporates  the 
mercury  leaving  as  a  residue  the  crude  silver.  It  is  no 
longer  a  mining-town  but  is  the  center  of  the  fruit  growing 
Huasco  district.  Figs  of  Huasco  are  famous.  Quite  a 
trade  is  carried  on  by  the  exportation  of  raisins,  here 
named  tapas.  Vallenar  has  5561  inhabitants.  It  is  on  the 
Huasco  River  and  is  connected  by  rail  with  Freirina  and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    363 

the  seaport,  Huasco.  It  was  pleasant  to  again  see  trees. 
It  seldom  rains  in  this  region.  When  I  alighted  from 
the  train  at  the  railroad  station  there  was  such  a  heavy  mist 
it  resembled  rain.  It  accumulated  into  drops  where  it 
had  fallen  on  the  leaves  and  as  such  fell  onto  the  sidewalks. 
Near  the  depot  is  a  large  finca  surrounded  by  gum  and 
poplar  trees,  and  the  sound  of  running  water  in  the  irri- 
gation ditches  behind  the  high  adobe  walls  was  refreshing. 


^    ■♦» 

A 

J    1    'iNk^ 
-  «i  ■■  ..-ri~- — ^^^ — 

Alameda  in  Copiapo 


It  takes  thirty-five  minutes  to  walk  the  length  of  the  main 
street,  but  the  city  is  only  six  blocks  wide.  A  half  mile  up 
this  street  is  a  plaza  with  a  stagnant  pool  in  its  center  where 
are  gold  fishes.  A  miniature  Eiffel  Tower  whose  top  is 
crowned  by  an  illuminated  clock  that  does  not  keep  time 
soars  above  a  stand  where  an  infantry  band  was  play- 
ing. When  a  crowd  had  collected  to  listen  to  the  music 
the  band  moved  off  up  the  street  until  it  came  to  a 
moving  picture  show,  whose  proprietor  had  hired  it  for 
the  evening  as  an  advertisement.  Nowhere  in  my  travels 
have  I  seen  so  many  bands  both  military  and  private  as 
in  Chile. 


;64 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


The  streets  of  \^allenar  are  narrow,  and  although 
lighted  with  electricity,  they  are  dark.  The  city  is  ancient 
in  appearance  and  as  one  passes  by  the  gloomy  structures 


Monument  Erected  in  Honor  of  Atacama's  Illustrious  Dead,  Copiapo 


in  the  misty  night,  a  feeling  is  present  that  one  of  the 
doors  leading  into  the  adobe  hovels  might  open  and  that 
the  pedestrian  will  be  yanked  by  unkno\^•n  hands  inside, 
where  he  will  be  robbed  and  murdered  by  disembowelment 
which  is  the  favorite  trick  among  Chileno  thugs.  Vallenar 
has  not  the  street  life  of  Illapel,  yet  I  must  say  in  its  favor 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    3^5 

that  never  elsewhere  in  a  town  of  its  size  have  I  seen  so 
much  beauty  among  women. 

At  Copiapo  I  stayed  four  days.  It  is  the  capital  of  the 
Province  of  Atacama  and  has  a  population  of  10,287 
inhabitants  although  it  looks  considerably  larger.  Fifty 
years  ago  it  had  fourteen  thousand  inhabitants.  At  that 
time  it  was  a  mining  center,  and  much  of  the  wealth 


Main  Street  of  Copiapo 

The  building  at  the  left  is  the  city  hall.     It  is  also  used  for  moving-picture  shows 


among  the  leading  families  of  Santiago  to-day  has  its  origin 
from  mines  formerly  located  here.  The  railroad  to  the 
fifty-two  miles  distant  seaport  of  Caldera  was  opened  to 
traffic  in  1850  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  South  America. 
The  original  locomotive  used  is  now  to  be  seen  in  the 
National  Museum  at  Santiago. 

The  city  is  situated  in  an  oasis  in  the  desert ;  this  oasis 
is  twenty-five  miles  long  by  two  miles  broad  and  is  culti- 
vated to  an  amazing  degree.  It  is  traversed  by  the  turbu- 
lent muddy  and  narrow  Copiapo  River  which  furnishes 
irrigation  to  the  many  quintas.     Peaches,  figs,  grapes,  and 


366 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


apricots  grow  in  profusion  as  do  also  loquats  and  other 
local  fruits  whose  names  are  unfamiliar  to  me.  A  specie 
of  willow  is  indigenous  to  the  valley  which  in  form  is  not 
unlike  a  Lombardy  poplar  and  from  a  distance  is  often 
mistaken  for  one  of  them. 

The  environs  of  the  city  have  a  decidedly  oriental  ap- 
pearance due  to  the  high  mud  garden  walls  which  shut 
off  from  the  passer-by  the  rich  verdure  of  the  enclosed 


Main  Street  of  Copiapo 


terrain,  making  the  only  objects  visible  to  him  the  dusty 
windowless  backs  of  sheds  with  an  occasional  tree  rising 
above  an  adobe  wall. 

Copiapo  is  retrogressant  and  will  become  even  more 
so.  Work  has  long  since  stopped  at  the  mines  and  the 
only  thing  that  keeps  the  place  alive  is  that  it  is  the  cap- 
ital of  a  province.  If  asked  for  a  description  of  the  city, 
I  would  say  that  it  is  an  old  adobe  town  in  an  oasis 
surrounded  by  barren  mountains,  with  a  broad  alameda 
bordered  with  giant  pepper  trees.  This  brief  description 
is  accurate.     The  pepper  trees  are  the  largest  I  have  ever 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    3^7 

seen  and  some  of  them  are  nearly  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
The  alameda  has  an  abundance  of  statues  to  Atacama 
heroes  with  a  soldiers'  monument  to  the  illustrious  Atacama 
dead.  The  house  roofs  rise  to  a  slight  gable  and  nearly- 
all  are  of  adobe.  This  mode  of  construction  could  not  be 
possible  in  a  country  where  rain  falls  frequently,  because 
in  1 91 5  when  there  was  a  hard  rainfall  in  Copiapo,  the 


Outskirts  of  Copiapo 

Note  the  Oriental  setting 

first  time  that  it  had  rained  in  eight  years,  many  of  the 
roofs  became  mud  puddles  and  were  washed  in. 

There  are  only  two  hotels  in  the  Atacama  metropolis, 
the  Atacama  and  the  Ingles.  I  vStopped  at  the  former 
which  is  the  best.  It  is  owned  by  a  Boer  named  Bosman 
who  married  a  native  woman.  Since  the  proprietor  finds 
mining  more  profitable  than  hotel  business,  he  leaves  the 
management  of  his  inn  in  the  charge  of  his  younger  son. 
The  hotel  is  fair  as  well  as  the  meals,  although  it  has  none 
of  the  modern  conveniences.  The  primitive  privy  is 
reached  by  crossing  a  barnyard  and  is  a  favorite  place  for 
poultry  which  roost  here.  I  discovered  a  tarantula  on  the 
seat.     To  reach  this  place  one  has  to  run  the  gauntlet  of 


^c-)P>  Journeys  and  Experiences 

semi  wild  swine  some  of  which  were  ugly.  The  Ingles  is 
owned  by  a  native  who  is  the  son  of  a  once  famous  Spanish 
opera  singer.  This  man  thinks  well  of  himself  although 
his  only  claim  for  distinction  is  evidenced  by  a  disgusting 
ringworm  on  his  right  cheek  which  is  larger  than  a  dollar. 
In  his  emporium  coarse  obscene  jests  and  loud  words  are 
the  order  of  the  day.     There  are  only  two  bars  in  Copiapo 


'^ 


Hovels  on  the  Outskirts  of  Copiapo 

and  these  are  in  each  of  the  hotels.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  the  proprietor  of  the  Ingles  does  the  most  business 
in  that  line  because  he  consumes  half  of  his  sales.  Copi- 
apo is  a  poor  saloon  town  because  the  natives  make  their 
own  wine  and  chicha.  They  often  repair  to  a  section  of 
the  oasis  named  the  Chimba,  where  they  roast  a  lamb,  hog 
or  an  ox  and  there  amidst  a  copious  supply  of  fermented 
beverages  indulge  in  an  orgy  that  baffles  description. 

Some  of  the  hovels  near  the  river  bank  are  the  extremity 
of  poverty.  Any  self-respecting  sow  in  the  United  States 
would  shun  these  shanties  of  mud,  straw,  and  tin  cans 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    369 

which  here  house  Atacama's  humblest  natives.  The  open 
space  in  front  of  these  hovels  are  littered  with  bones, 
garbage,  dead  rats,  and  excrement. 

The  cemetery  is  lugubrious,  and  in  many  a  grave  there 
is  a  cavity  beneath  the  tombstone  where  can  be  seen  the 
grinning  skull  of  its  occupant.  It  was  founded  in  1848  and 
a  motto  over  the  entrance  denotes  it  as  a  place  of  peace. 


Cemetery,  Copiapo 


I  cannot  realize  how  this  motto  is  appropriate  because 
visitors  are  constantly  perturbing  the  bones  with  their 
canes.  The  hook  and  ladder  and  fire  engine  date  from 
1868  but  the  Matriz  or  large  church  on  the  Plaza  Arturo 
Prat  antedates  it  fifty  years.  It  is  a  large  edifice  with  a 
square  tower  of  New  England  colonial  architecture.  The 
church  of  San  Francisco  is  after  the  style  of  the  French 
Cathedral  at  New  Orleans.  Although  the  city  has  but  a 
population  of  slightly  over  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  it 
nevertheless  boasts  of  five  daily  newspapers,  none  of 
which  by  the  way  are  worth  reading  as  their  columns  deal 
4 


o/ 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


solely  with  local  events  such  as  a  man  stumbling  on  a  toad 
and  spraining  his  ankle,  etc. 

Taking  a  walk  with  Gumprecht  down  the  railroad  track 
we  saw  behind  a  wall  a  large  tree  laden  with  luscious  purple 
figs.  We  climbed  upon  the  wall  to  reach  some  when  I 
noticed  a  gi/l  driving  some  sheep  across  a  trestle.  I 
called  Gumprecht 's  attention.  He  was  startled  thinking 
the  owner  of  the  quinta  was  coming  and  fell  from  the  wall 
into  the  garden.  In  falling  he  accidentally  tripped  me  up 
and  I  took  a  header  in  the  opposite  direction  landing  me 
into  a  bush  which  had  prickly  burrs  which  littered  my 
clothing,  clinging  tenaciously  to  them.  In  extracting 
them  I  got  my  hands  full  of  the  barbed  nettles  which  these 
burrs  were  composed  of.  As  I  fell  I  heard  a  yell  from  the 
other  side  of  the  wall  and  upon  climbing  it  again  saw  that 
Gumprecht  was  having  a  lively  fight  Vvdth  an  enraged  bull 
dog  which  had  bitten  him  a  couple  of  times.  I  came  to  his 
rescue  with  my  revolver.  In  the  meantime  Gumprecht 
had  drawn  his  revolver  and  between  us  we  made  short 
work  with  the  bull  dog.  The  shooting  aroused  the  neigh- 
borhood and  we  could  see  farm  laborers  running  to  the 
scene  with  pitchforks.  We  took  to  our  heels  and  finally 
hid  by  lying  down  in  a  dry  irrigation  ditch  where  we 
remained  half  an  hour.  When  the  hunt  had  somewhat 
subsided  w^e  struck  out  for  the  town  by  a  detour  but  lost 
ourselves  at  a  river  which  we  forded.  We  started  up  a 
trail  between  some  Kaffir  corn  when  we  suddenly  came  to 
another  fig  tree.  When  we  were  devouring  this  fruit  we 
were  caught  by  the  owner  of  this  quinta  which  was  a  full 
mile  from  the  one  where  the  bull  dog  was.  We  offered  to 
pay  him  for  it,  but  in  excellent  English  he  told  us  to  help 
ourselves. 

This  man  was  Professor  Platner,  i)resident  of  the  Chile 
College  of  Mines  whose  three-story  yellow  institution  we 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    371 

could  see  through  the  trees.  He  was  a  German,  Jiad  lost  a 
fortune  in  mining,  owned  a  fine  quinta,  had  lived  in  Co];!- 
apo  for  twenty-five  years  and  was  anxious  to  sell  out  and 
get  away  on  account  of  being  tired  of  the  place.  He 
showed  us  his  quinta,gave  us  all  the  fruit  we  could  eat,  and 
revealed  to  us  much  information  about  the  mining  past 
and  i)resent  in  the  province.  He  had  installed  an  ore 
crusher  on  his  place  which  he  rented  to  miners  on  the  per- 
centage system.  It  was  the  Chilean  j^rocess  of  gold  extract- 
ing originated  at  Copiapo.  There  were  several  stone 
bottom  tubs  each  holding  a  wheel  j^erpendicular  to  che 
base  and  which  is  revolved  by  means  of  a  large  horizontal 
wheel  which  fits  into  grooves.  The  large  wheel  is  set  into 
motion  by  water  joower  from  the  river.  The  tubs  arc  filled 
with  a  layer  of  ore  and  the  crushing  begins;  mercury  and 
water  are  then  added.  The  mercury  and  the  gold  form 
an  amalgam  which  is  carried  off  by  a  pipe  into  another  tub 
along  with  the  water.  After  straining,  the  amalgam  is 
put  into  a  retort  which  is  heated  at  its  base.  The  mer- 
cury escapes  through  a  tube  and  is  caught  in  a  pail  of  water 
to  be  used  again.  Platner  said  that  either  gold  or  copper 
was  mined  according  to  the  value  of  copper.  When  cop- 
per falls  below  fifty  pesos  a  ton,  gold  is  mined.  At  the 
time  of  my  visit,  copper  was  worth  1 12  pesos  a  ton. 

During  the  colonial  times  the  silver  mines  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Copiapo  were  worked  by  the  Spaniards,  and  it 
is  said  that  more  than  twenty  thousand  Indians  were 
exterminated  through  overwork  in  these  mines.  About 
four  generations  ago  these  mines  became  the  properties  of 
about  a  dozen  individuals,  most  of  whom  lived  m  Santiago. 
They  were  worked  successfully  until  they  died.  The 
mineral  property  was  then  divided  among  their  heirs  and 
when  these  heirs  died,  there  were  other  divisions  among  new 
heirs.     On  account  of  these  divisions  work  soon  ceased. 


OI~ 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


Now  in  order  for  a  man  to  get  a  clean  title  to  any  of  this 
mineral  jjroperty  all  the  heirs  have  to  agree  to  the  sale  and 
there  are  a  multitude  scattered  all  over  the  world  which 
makes  getting  a  deed  nearly  impossible.  There  have  been 
instances  when  nearly  all  the  heirs  were  found  and  agreed 
to  a  sale  only  to  have  it  held  up  at  the  last  minute  by  one 
or  more  parties  backing  out.  A  bill  is  before  the  Chilean 
senate  for  the  state  to  take  over  all  mineral  lands  that 
have  not  been  worked  for  fifty  years;  if  it  passes  these 
mines  will  again  be  in  operation. 

Copiapo  boasts  of  one  millionaire.  He  lives  in  a  ram- 
shackle salmon-colored  house  of  stuccoed  adobe  which 
has  been  cracked  by  an  earthquake.  The  city  is  also  the 
birthplace  of  Martin  Rivas,  the  hero  of  Blest-Gana's 
novel  Martin  Rivas  which  is  considered  to  be  a  classic  of 
Spanish  literature. 

From  Copiapo  northward  the  longitudinal  railroad  to 
Iquique  runs  over  a  great  arid  desert  winding  its  way 
across  sandy  plateaus  hemmed  in  by  barren  mountains. 
The  southern  part  of  this  desolation  is  named  the  Atacama 
Desert  and  here  on  the  high  mountainsides  are  seen  the 
shafts  and  settlements  of  the  gold  and  copper  mines. 
Dulcinea  is  the  first  large  mine  reached.  San  Pedro  is 
reached  in  the  afternoon  and  later  on  Pueblo  Hundido,  the 
junction  for  Chaiiaral,  and  the  headquarters  of  the  Andes 
Copper  Company.  The  next  morning  the  train  arrives  at 
Caialina,  the  junction  for  Taltal  and  now  enters  the 
nitrate  country.  The  same  day  it  stops  at  Aguas  Blancas, 
the  junction  for  Antofagasta,  Chuquicamata,  the  newly 
opened  copper  mining  town  ot  the  Guggenheim  interests, 
and  Bolivia.  The  railroad  from  Catalina  northward  goes 
through  the  center  of  the  nitrate  country  and  has  several 
branches  running  down  to  the  seaports  such  as  that  from 
Toco  to  Tocoijilla.     Toco  is  passed  in  the  middle  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    373 

night  as  well  as  Quillagua,  the  last  mentioned  place  being 
an  oasis  in  the  Desert  of  Tararugal.  Pintados  which  is 
reached  forty-eight  hours  after  leaving  Copiapo  is  the 
terminus  of  the  longitudinal  railway  and  here  trains  must 
be  changed  for  Iquique  and  Pisagua,  the  northernmost 
nitrate  port. 

Although  my  ticket  was  bought  for  Iquique,  I  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  train  at  Aguas  Blancas  and  go  direct  to 
Antofagasta.  I  had  the  misfortune  to  break  a  blood  vessel 
in  my  right  foot  in  Copiapo  shortly  before  boarding  the 
train,  which  dolorous  accident  was  due  to  the  injury  I 
received  when  a  rock  hit  my  foot  as  I  was  trying  to  escape 
from  the  catapult  of  stones  that  were  shot  from  the  crater 
of  Volcano  Chilian.  I  consider  that  my  quickness  in 
reaching  Antofagasta  was  what  saved  me  from  crossing 
the  River  Lethe.  I  was  flat  on  my  back  in  that  prosper- 
ous seaport  for  three  weeks. 

Antofagasta,  the  commercial  metropolis  of  Northern 
Chile  has  a  population  of  60,297  inhabitants  although  it 
does  not  look  nearly  so  large.  It  is  the  fourth  city  of 
Chile  and  has  in  recent  years  taken  away  much  of  Iqui- 
que's  trade,  although  the  latter  place  does  not  appear  to 
be  dull.  The  dow^ntown  business  streets  of  Antofagasta 
are  paved  with  asphalt  and  work  is  now  under  way  to  pave 
the  whole  city.  Sewers  have  been  extended  and  the  mule 
power  street  cars  have  been  discarded  for  autobuses;  a 
man  named  Yankovich  having  obtained  the  concession 
for  this  means  of  passenger  trafBc.  The  old  buildings  of 
adobe,  wood,  corrugated  iron,  and  stuccoed  cane  are  fast 
being  replaced  with  metropolitan  structures  of  brick  and 
cement.  Among  these  new  edifices  can  be  mentioned  the 
city  hall,  the  fire  department,  the  Mercantile  Bank  of 
Bolivia,  the  Victoria  Theater,  and  Luksic's  Hotel  Belmont. 

The  city  from  being  a  pestilential  port  in  the  past  is  now 


374  Journeys  and  Experiences 

scrii])ulously  clean,  although  in  its  suburbs  imijrovements 
can  ])c  made.  The  municipality  has  waged  war  against 
tlie  butchers  and  vegetable  dealers  compelling  them  to 
screen  their  goods  from  the  flies.  Protesting  mass  meet- 
ings were  of  no  avail.  A  new  railroad  station  has  been 
built  on  the  heights  above  the  city  and  the  old  ramshackle 
wooden  structure  which  is  an  eyesore  to  the  city  will  be 


Plaza  Colon,  Antofagasta 


torn  dowTi  to  make  way  for  the  opening  of  a  new  street. 
Antofagasta  is  proud  of  its  cemetery.  To  me  it  is  a  night- 
mare. Most  of  the  graves  are  marked  with  wooden  crosses 
l)ainted  white,  many  of  them  being  enclosed  by  picket 
fences.  The  bodies  of  the  j^oor  are  thrown  naked  into  a  pit 
and  covered  with  quicklime.  The  stench  emanating  from 
this  spot  is  appalling  and  the  litters  for  the  transportation 
of  the  cadavers  which  are  much  in  evidence  in  this  neigh- 
borhood do  not  add  any  attraction  to  the  scene. 

In  1 910  a  mania  struck  each  resident  foreign  colony  to 
donate  to  the  city  a  reminder  of  themselves.     The  British 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    375 

colony  erected  an  ornate  and  useful  clock  tower  in  the 
Plaza  Colon;  in  the  same  park  the  Spaniards  built  a 
bronze  monument  si(^nifying  the  Union  of  the  Waters; 
the  Slavs  built  a  bandstand.  In  the  Plaza  vSotomayor  the 
Germans  erected  a  column  to  Gcrmania,  and  the  Greeks 
gave  a  statue  of  a  couple  of  wrestlers.  The  Chinamen 
donated  the  expensive  entrance  to  the  cemetery  while  the 
Turks  gave  the  city  the  benches  which  are  in  the  parks. 
The  North  Americans  are  not  re])resented  in  these  dona- 


Provincial  Capitol  Building,  Antofagasta 


tions,  because  at  that  time  the  city  had  only  one  of  our 
countrymen  as  a  resident,  Mr.  William  Stevenson,  and  it 
could  not  be  expected  that  he  himself  would  pay  out  of  his 
own  pocket  a  sum  of  money  equivalent  to  what  a  whole 
colony  did  out  of  theirs. 

The  best  hotel  in  Antofagasta  is  that  named  the  Francia 
y  Inglaterra  of  Nowick  and  Dutrey;  the  Grand  and  the 
Belmont  are  also  good.  On  Sunday  Antofagasta  is  drier 
than  a  powder  horn ;  at  least  it  is  supposed  to  be.  But  like 
in  most  towns  where  unwelcome  laws  are  imposed  on  the 
people,  they  are  made  to  be  broken.  I  judged  this  to  be 
the  case  here  from  the  number  of  Sunday  "drunks"  that  I 


2,7^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

saw  being  led  off  to  jail,  or  else  encumbering  the  sidewalks 
of  the  suburbs  by  reclining  on  them  in  a  horizontal  position. 
The  lid  goes  on  promptly  at  five  o'clock  Saturday  after- 
noon and  the  clamp  is  not  taken  off  until  eight  o'clock 
Monday  morning.  For  violations  of  the  liquor  law  the 
names  of  those  men  arrested  for  being  drunk  during  this 
period  of  drought  are  published  in  the  Monday  newspapers 
and  stiff  fines  are  imposed  upon  the  vendors  of  liquid 
refreshments  that  contain  an  alcoholic  percentage.  On 
Sunday,  April  30,  1916,  120  saloon  proprietors  were  fined 
for  selling  drinks.  The  Quinta  Casale  proprietor  was 
fined  1000  pesos  (about  $200.00),  the  proprietor  of  the 
Hotel  Maury  was  fined  500  pesos  and  another  saioon- 
keeper  the  same  amount.  One  Saturday  night  during 
this  enforcement  while  I  was  a  guest  at  the  Hotel  Francia 
y  Inglaterra,  the  three  mozos  of  the  second  floor  of  the 
hotel  got  hold  of  a  case  of  Guinness'  stout  to  which  they 
proceeded  to  make  short  shift  of.  In  their  inebriated 
condition  they  started  a  fight  which  at  first  was  as  near  to 
the  Marquis  of  Queensbury  rules  as  a  triangular  affair  of  its 
kind  could  be.  It  soon  developed  into  a  rough  and  tumble 
and  all  the  participants  were  jDut  hors  de  combat.  This 
occurred  during  the  dinner  hour  and  the  unedifying  exple- 
tives used  which  generally  accompany  such  a  fracas  were 
audible  to  the  diners  much  to  the  mortification  of  Nowick 
and  Dutrey.  One  of  the  combatants  repaired  home 
where  he  attempted  to  assail  his  better  half  with  his  fist ; 
she  retaliated  by  seizing  a  chair  and  breaking  his  head.  I 
related  this  affair  to  a  North  American,  a  Mr.  Rowe,  a 
resident  of  Antofagasta.  Rowe  then  told  me  that  a  year 
l)revious  in  La  Paz,  Bolivia,  he  was  stopping  at  the  Hotel 
Guibert.  Mr.  Guibert  did  him  a  trick  that  angered  him, 
so  he  in  turn  filled  up  all  the  servants  of  Guibert 's  hotel 
to  get  even.     For  a  whole  day  there  was  no  service  at  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    377 

Hotel  Guibert  for  all  the  domestics  from  the  manager  to  the 
cook  were  roaring  drunk  and  all  the  guests  were  forced  to 
seek  other  quarters. 

One  of  the  famous  characters  of  Northern  Chile  and 
Bolivia  was  a  brutal  bully  named  McAdoo  who  was  con- 
tinuously quarreling  with  everybody.  He  died  in  191 5, 
and  on  his  tombstone  in  Antofagasta  his  acquaintances  had 
the  inscription  carved:  "May  he  rest  in  peace.  " 


Street  in  Antofagasta 


In  191 6  the  Antofagasta  public  was  indignant  at  the 
way  some  of  its  indigent  dead  were  handled.  When  an 
unknown  man  or  a  pauper  died,  he  was  dumped  into  a  sack 
and  a  carter  was  hired  to  carry  the  bundle  to  the  cemetery. 
These  carts  are  two-wheeled  open  affairs,  if  the  cemetery 
happened  to  be  closed,  the  carter  was  apt  to  drop  his 
unwholesome  burden  anywhere.  Two  or  three  of  these 
lichs  were  found  tied  up  in  sacks  in  different  parts  of  the 
city  during  my  sojourn  in  Antofagasta,  which  perpetration 
was  severely  excoriated  by  the  newspapers.     Speaking  of 


37^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

it  to  Captain  Rowlands  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation 
Company's  steamship  Guatemala,  he  related  to  me  an 
incident  which  happened  on  his  ship. 

A  man  died  of  bubonic  plague  in  one  of  the  nitrate  ports 
but  before  dying  he  told  a  relative  that  he  wished  to  be 
buried  in  Santiago.  This  relative  was  returning  to  that 
city  so  he  tied  the  corpse  in  a  sack  and  carried  it  on 
shipboard.  As  the  lower-class  Chilenos  all  carry  their 
possessions  in  burlap  sacks  slung  across  their  backs  while 
traveling,  he  managed  to  get  his  burden  on  board  un- 
noticed. He  stowed  it  underneath  his  berth,  but  the  odor 
was  such  that  he  could  not  sleep  so  he  made  friends  with 
the  bartender  and  hired  him  to  hide  it  until  the  ship  reached 
Valparaiso.  The  bartender  placed  the  cadaver  underneath 
the  sink  in  the  service  bar.  The  next  day  Captain  Row- 
lands smelt  a  stench  while  he  was  making  the  inspection, 
and  opening  the  door  of  the  sink  discovered  the  body, 
which  he  had  thrown  overboard.  The  frightened  bartender 
owned  up  to  bis  part  of  the  transaction  but  the  passenger, 
the  relative  of  the  defunct  when  taken  to  task  retaliated  by 
threatening  the  captain  with  arrest  upon  the  ship's  arrival 
at  Valparaiso.  Rowlands  told  him  that  he  could  start 
anything  he  wanted  to,  but  if  any  arresting  was  to  be  done, 
it  would  be  the  passenger  who  would  be  arrested  for 
breaking  Chile's  sanitary  law-. 

The  harbor  of  Antofagasta  is  never  quiet  owing  to  a  heavy 
swell  and  a  project  is  now  on  hand  to  build  a  breakwater. 
I  boarded  the  Guatemala  at  that  port  with  a  ticket  for 
Iquique.  It  had  been  over  three  years  since  I  was  a 
passenger  on  that  boat  and  the  great  improvement  on  it  was 
marvelous.  In  1913  the  food,  service,  and  filth  on  it  were 
so  abominable,  combined  with  the  slipshod  actions  of  the 
officers,  that  I  made  up  my  mind  never  to  embark  upon 
it  again.     Since  Captain  Rowlands  has  been  its  skipper 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    379 

even/thing  has  changed,  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  cleanest 
and  most  comfortable  steamers  on  the  coast.  The  food 
cannot  be  beaten.  One  of  the  passengers  on  board  I  found 
to  be  Angel  Larrain,  the  efficient  but  villainous  looking 
bearded  roustabout  whom  Prat  and  I  had  delegated  to 
bring  our  baggage  to  Lima  upon  consideration  of  his 
passage. 

The  morning  after  leaving  Antofagasta  we  arrived  at 
Gatico,  a  copper  port,  where  the  mountains  came  down  to 
the  ocean.  About  a  league  south  of  it  was  seen  the  small 
village  of  Copoapa  on  a  narrow  sandy  plain  at  the  foot  of 
the  barren  cliffs.  Gatico  and  Tocopilla  are  the  only  towns 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  South  America  where  copper  is 
found  near  to  the  ocean.  There  is  a  smelter  at  Gatico 
and  it  is  up  a  canyon  here  that  run  the  wires  of  the  electri- 
cal power  plant  at  Tocopilla  to  the  Chuquicamata  mines. 

Tocopilla  is  a  two  hours"  run  north  of  Gatico.  We 
reached  it  in  the  early  afternoon  and  remained  there  all 
night  taking  on  cargo.  According  to  the  last  census  it  had 
5366  inhabitants,  although  it  does  not  appear  to  have  half 
that  number  of  people.  Next  to  Salaverry  and  MoUendo 
it  is  the  vilest  hole  that  I  have  ever  stepped  foot  into, 
although  I  am  told  that  it  is  a  paradise  compared  to  Pisa- 
gua.  It  is  a  long,  narrow  place,  built  on  a  sandy  fringe 
between  the  mountains  and  the  sea.  Its  houses  are  mostly 
one-story  frame  shacks,  the  majority  unpainted.  A 
point  juts  into  the  ocean  off  which  are  two  small  guano 
islands.  Near  the  end  of  the  point  is  the  large  electrical 
power  plant  of  the  Chuquicamata  mines.  It  gets  its 
power  from  the  ocean,  a  tunnel  having  been  dug  out  under 
the  water  and  thence  upwards  so  as  to  cause  great  pressure. 
There  has  been  much  trouble  on  account  of  the  tunnel  get- 
ting clogged  with  seaweed.  The  Siemens-Schukert  Com- 
pany  of    Germany   installed   the   machinery,  which    has 


38o 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


given  such  poor  satisfaction  that  I  understand  the  Chuqui- 
camata  Mining  Company  (Guggenheim  interests)  have 
taken  it  over  under  protest. 

Tocopilla  has  a  comparatively  large  German  element, 
most  of  the  male  members  being  employees  of  the  Sloman 
Copper  Smelter.  This  plant  is  on  the  side  of  a  mountain 
and  some  of  its  mines  are  visible  from  the  port. 


Street  in  Tocopilla 

The  town  is  not  only  exceedingly  wretched  in  appear- 
ance but  also  has  the  reputation  of  being  pestilential. 
The  captain  of  the  Chilean  vessel  Condor  landed  here  in 
19 12  sick  with  the  yellow  fever.  He  recovered  but  this 
pestilence  nearly  wiped  out  the  whole  town.  There  is  no 
verdure  of  any  description  hereabouts  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  plants  in  front  of  the  houses,  the  country  being  a 
sandy  and  a  stony  waste;  the  same  is  true  about  Anto- 
fagasta,  yet  in  both  places  mosquitoes  thrive.  This  yel- 
low fever  epidemic  was  singular  because  south  of  Lima 
the  West  Coast  of  South  America  has  always  been  abso- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    381 

lutely  free  from  it.  In  191 5  Tocopilla  was  a  closed  port 
for  four  months  on  account  of  bubonic  plague,  which  is  ever 
present  in  the  seaport  towns  from  La  Serena  northward  to 
Panama. 

In  company  with  Mr.  B.  Brice  of  Valparaiso,  accountant 
for  the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Company,  I  took  a  walk 
to  the  cemetery.  The  two  gates  were  locked  so  we  started 
to  walk  around  it  to  see  if  there  was  another  entrance. 
Since  walking  was  obnoxious  in  its  neighborhood  on 
account  of  tin  cans  and  nondescript  rubbish,  we  made  a 
detour  by  going  out  onto  the  plain.  Suddenly  our  nos- 
trils were  assailed  by  a  disgusting  odor  which  caused  us 
to  hold  our  breath.  "Look  here,  "  said  Mr.  Brice,  point- 
ing to  a  myriad  of  mounds  which  we  had  previously  taken 
to  be  rubbish  piles;  we  found  that  they  were  graves  for 
at  the  head  of  some  were  wooden  crosses  and  desiccated 
boucjuets. 

"I  believe  that  we  are  in  the  yellow  fever  burial 
ground,  "  I  said. 

"Possibly,"  answered  Mr.  Brice.  "Let  us  ask  that 
individual,  "  indicating  a  man  in  the  distance  who  was 
scraping  with  a  stick  among  the  mounds  and  whose  actions 
savored  of  those  of  a  ghoul. 

Upon  asking  the  "individual,"  whose  appearance  was 
that  of  a  degenerate,  we  were  informed  that  we  were  in  the 
bubonic  plague  graveyard. 

"The  yellow  fever  cemetery  is  there,"  he  exclaimed, 
pointing  with  evident  pride  to  a  large  square  enclosure 
bristling  with  white  crosses. 

The  degenerate  creature  was  carrying  a  burlap  sack 
which  he  dragged  on  the  ground.  Through  a  large  hole  in 
it,  we  saw  red  meat  and  the  knee-cap  of  some  animal. 

' '  What  have  you  got  there  ? "  I  asked. 

The  degenerate  pointed  to  the  distant  carcasses  of  mules 


382 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


rotting  in  the  sun  and  above  which  soared  carrion.     Said 
he: 

"I  have  just  cut  off  a  hock  of  mule.  " 

"What  for?" 

"To  eat.     One  must  live,  of  course." 

This  disgusting  habit  of  feeding  on  the  carcasses   of 


Cemeteries  at  Tocopilla 

The  mounds  in  the  foreground  are  the  graves  of  the  victims  of  bubonic  plague.  The 
white  wall  in  the  distance  encloses  the  burial  ground  of  the  people  who  died  of  yellow 
fever  in  the  epidemic  of  19 12.  These  gruesome  cemeteries  are  the  pride  of  the  natives 
of  the  wretched  town  of  Tocopilla. 

animals  that  have  died  a  natural  death  or  through  disease 
is  prevalent  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  arid  zones  of 
Peru  and  Northern  Chile ;  where  j.robably  nowhere  else  on 
earth  is  the  human  race  so  degraded. 

Shortly  after  leaving  Tocopilla,  I  chancing  to  be  on  the 
starboard  deck  of  the  Guatemala  ran  into  the  bearded 
rufBan  Angel  in  deep  conversation  with  an  English  divine. 
He  was  gesticulating  during  his  conversation  and  would 
occasionally  point  towards  land  in  the  direction  of  the 
cemeteries  fast  vanishing  in  the  distance.     I  walked  up  to 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    3^s 

the  pair,  and  after  turning  the  topic  of  conversation  to 
things  commonplace  when  I  approached,  Angel  made  some 
excuse  and  disappeared. 

"A  real  brilliant  man  that,  "  said  the  Anglican,  turning 
to  mc.  "It  is  curious  how  often  a  rough  exterior  reveals 
great  brains.  " 

"How  do  you  mean?"  I  inquired. 

"You  noticed  that  uncouth  bearded  man  in  conversa- 
tion with  me  when  you  approached.  A  person  unac- 
quainted with  him  would  imagine  him  to  be  one  of  the 
great  number  of  vagabonds  that  abound  on  this  coast.  He 
belies  his  appearance  for  he  is  a  distinguished  professor  of 
the  University  of  Buenos  Aires.  He  is  making  a  tour 
of  the  AVcst  Coast  towns  studying  the  causes  of  bubonic 
plague.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Argentine  Commission  on 
Bubonic  Plague  and  many  interesting  things  he  has  told 
me  about  this  malady  that  I  have  never  heard  of  before.  " 

I  did  not  spoil  Angel's  story  by  revealing  to  the  Anglican 
his  real  nature.  The  roustabout  had  been  listening  to 
a  conversation  the  previous  evening  between  Captain 
Rowlands,  Mr.  Brice,  an  English  army  officer,  and  myself 
about  bubonic  plague  and  had  remembered  everything 
he  heard.  Owing  to  this  knowledge  he  was  able  to  carry 
on  a  fairly  intellectual  exchange  of  words  on  the  subject 
with  the  English  minister. 

The  so-called  harbor  of  Iquique  is  no  more  than  a  road- 
stead with  a  barrier  of  rocks  jutting  into  the  ocean, 
which  breaks  in  two  places  forming  narrow  entrances  to  a 
natural  basin.  The  waves  beat  with  violence  against 
the  rocks  so  the  fleteros,  as  the  boatmen  are  called,  are 
obliged  to  wait  until  a  wave  has  broken  and  then  by  quick 
rowing  speed  past  the  entrances  before  another  wave  has 
the  chance  to  dash  against  the  barrier. 

Iquique's    population    numbers    46,216.       In    1907    its 


3^4 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


population  was  40,171,  which  shows  that  although  An- 
tofagasta  has  taken  away  a  great  deal  of  its  trade,  yet 
the  city  has  had  a  slight  increase.  There  is  a  great  rivalry 
between  the  two  cities  which  is  soon  bound  to  cease  on 
account  of  Antofagasta  having  a  good  commercial  future 
ahead  of  it.  The  nitrate  industry  of  Iquique  is  on  the 
wane,  and  is  now  confined  to  the  Iquique  and  the  Pisagua 
]5ampas  while  that  of  Antofagasta  is  in  its  prime.     As  a 


Street  in  Iquique 

residential  place  most  people  prefer  Iquique;  there  is  a 
large  British  colony  here  and  the  foreigners  are  of  a  better 
class;  among  the  foreigners  in  Antofagasta  the  Slavs 
(mostly  from  Croatia  and  Dalmatia)  predominate  and 
these  were  originally  the  scum  of  their  countries.  In 
Iquique 's  favor  also  are  better  residences,  pretty  plazas, 
and  a  fine  malecon  or  sea  boulevard  with  a  nice  beach. 
Nevertheless  1 2:)refer  Antofagasta  because  it  is  cleaner,  its 
streets  arc  paved,  its  buildings  are  more  substantial,  and  it 
does  not  seem  so  remote,  having  better  railroad  facilities. 
Iquique  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  square  on  a  sandy  point 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    ?>^5 

of  land.  All  of  its  buildings  are  frame,  many  of  them  being 
painted  brown  or  dark  red.  Quite  a  few  have  ornamental 
balconies,  some  being  of  Moorish  design.  The  streets,  on 
some  of  which  run  horse  cars,  are  narrow  and  straight. 
Many  have  irregularities  for  some  buildings  are  set  farther 
back  than  others  and  the  curbs  in  these  places  likewise 
recede.     The  main  street  is  named  Tarapaca  from  the 


Street  in  Iquique 


province  of  which  Iquique  is  the  capital,  while  the  next 
important  commercial  street  is  that  named  Anibal  Pinto. 
Ordinarily  the  dust  on  these  thoroughfares  would  be 
insupportable,  but  the  municipality  has  inaugurated  the 
sprinkling  of  the  streets  with  sea  water.  This  causes  much 
dampness  in  places  where  the  sun  does  not  reach. 

Like  most  of  the  West  Coast  towns  of  the  arid  zone, 
Iquique  is  devoid  of  edificial  interest.  It  has,  how^ever,  an 
imposing  opera  house,  a  good  city  hall,  a  Moorish  tow^er  in 
the  center  of  the  plaza,  and  a  rather  pretty  cemetery, 
besides  some  good  residences,  that  of  the  governor  with 


386      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

broad  verandas  and  large  plate  glass  windows  being  the 
finest.  The  Hotel  Phoenix,  owned  by  an  Italian,  Sorbini, 
is  not  at  all  bad.  Here  and  in  Tacna  no  fruit  is  served 
with  the  meals  provided  by  the  hotel,  but  native  women 
perambulate  between  the  tables  carrying  baskets  from 
which   they   sell   fruit   to   the  diners.     Sometimes   these 


Cemetery,  Iquique 

greasy  hags  become  insulting  when  a  guest  refuvses  to  buy 
from  them. 

Late  at  night  of  the  evening  after  leaving  Iquique  the 
lights  of  two  towns  close  together  w^ere  visible  on  shore. 
These  were  Junin  and  Pisagua,  the  last  mentioned  being  a 
few  miles  north  of  its  neighbor.  Pisagua  is  a  nitrate  port 
with  4089  inhabitants.  Bubonic  plague  was  formerh^  so 
bad  there  that  the  town  had  to  be  burned  down  twice. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ARICA   TO   ILO   OVERLAND,    VIA   TACNA,    TARATA,    AND 
MOQUEGUA 

Arica  is  seven  hours  north  of  Pisagua.  Its  jjopulation 
is  4886.  It  is  the  pleasantest  port  on  the  rainless  coast 
for  in  its  neighborhood  is  verdure  due  to  irrigation 
from  the  Lluta  River.  It  looks  nice  from  the  steamer's 
deck,  which  appearance  is  not  behed  by  a  visit  to  the 
lower  town.  The  upper  town,  which  extends  to  the 
desert,  is  a  compactly  built  place  of  low  buildings,  but  is  far 
superior  to  the  other  coast  towns  of  its  size.  In  the  lower 
town  are  the  banks,  shipping  offices,  andgovernment  build- 
ings. Its  streets  are  bordered  with  pepper  trees  and  it 
has  two  cool  and  pleasant  plazas  in  one  of  which  the 
ItaHan  residents  have  erected  a  bust  to  Columbus.  Arica 
is  the  port  of  the  provincial  capital,  Tacna,  but  its  present 
importance  is  due  to  the  opening  in  1913  of  a  railroad  to 
La  Paz,  Bolivia,  of  which  city  it  is  also  a  port.  A  traveler 
is  carried  to  the  Bolivian  metropolis  in  twenty-four  hours 
over  a  pass  thirteen  thousand  feet  high. 

One  of  the  first  things  that  I  did  when  I  arrived  in  Arica 
was  to  go  to  the  steamship  office  to  find  out  about  the 
sailings  of  the  ships  on  the  Chilean  Line  and  of  the  Pacific 
Steam  Navigation  Company.  The  agent  for  both  these 
lines  was  the  American  consul,  a  man  whose  name  I  believe 

387 


388 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


was  Smith.  As  I  was  waiting  for  information,  Smith 
himself  appeared  and  he  was  in  an  ugly  mood.  He  was  a 
thin  blonde  man  about  fifty  years  old,  bespectacled,  and 
had  red  blotches  on  his  face  which  showed  that  he  was  a 
heavy  drinker.  In  fact  he  stunk  of  liquor.  He  was  an 
Englishman  and  was  acting  as  representative  for  the 
United  States. 


Custom  House,  Arica 

This  building  was  designed  and  bui'.t  by  Eifful,  who  built  the  tower  named  after  him 

in  Paris. 

"Can't  you  read  the  schedule?"  he  inquired,  indicating  a 
time  card  which  hung  on  the  wall  of  the  outer  office . 

"Yes,  but  owing  to  the  ships  being  overcrowded,  I  want 
to  make  reservations. " 

"Wait  until  the  ship  arrives,  then  we  will  sell  you  a 
ticket,  "  he  answered  hastily  and  then  left  the  room.  This 
was  a  nice  fix  because  if  I  returned  to  Arica  a  few  hours 
before  sailing,  it  might  happen  that  there  would  be  so 
much  loading  and  unloading  of  merchandise  that  it 
would  be  too  late  for  me  to  buy  my  ticket  after  getting 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  389 

my  passports  vised.  There  was  no  use  of  arguing  with 
such  self-important  and  gin-soaked  individuals  as  Smith 
so  I  went  away  trusting  to  chance.  It  turned  out  that 
I  did  not  return  to  Arica  to  catch  the  steamer  be- 
cause I  traveled  overland  to  Ilo,  the  port  of  Moquegua 
in  Peru.  A  half  hour  after  leaving  the  shipping  office  I 
saw  Smith  coming  out  of  a  cantiua  or  saloon  in  the  lower 


Street  in  Arica 

This  is  in  the  upper  town. 


town  and  after  walking  for  about  a  block  he  entered 
another  one.  Later  on  in  the  afternoon,  happening  to  be 
in  the  barroom  of  the  Hotel  Francia,  I  arrived  in  time  to 
see  him  gulp  down  a  tumbler  of  gin  and  follow  it  up  with  a 
brandy  chaser.  I  stepped  up  to  him  and  offered  to  treat 
him,  mainly  to  see  what  mood  he  would  be  in,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  hear  him  acquiesce  by  ordering  a  half  pint  of 


390  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Guinness'  stout.  This  performance  he  kept  up  all  day  and 
I  was  told  by  the  brother  of  the  hotel  proprietress  that  it 
was  a  daily  trick  of  his. 

When  the  Guatemala  anchored  at  Arica  a  French  Cal- 
vinist  minister,  Dr.  Petit,  came  on  board  to  visit  one  of 
the  passengers,  the  Reverend  McLaughlin,  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  minister  from  Buenos  Aires.  McLaughlin  in- 
troduced me  to  Petit  and  during  the  following  days  at 
both  Arica  and  Tacna  I  became  fairly  well  acquainted  with 
him.  Petit  had  a  degree  as  a  physician  but  changed  his 
profession  to  that  of  minister  of  the  gospel.  He  had  done 
considerable  missionary  work  in  South  America  and  had  a 
church  in  Arica  where  he  preached.  He  did  not  believe 
in  war  but  was  a  strong  advocate  for  divorce ;  in  fact  he  was 
contemplating  divorcing  his  wife  whom  he  claimed  was 
unfaithful.  He  was  at  the  present  prevented  from  doing 
so  because  there  is  no  divorce  law  in  vSouth  America  except- 
ing Uruguay,  and  he  did  not  have  enough  money  to  go  to 
Montevideo  to  start  proceedings.  He  also  informed  me 
that  if  the  husband  of  the  proprietress  of  the  Hotel  Fran- 
cia  was  onto  his  job  he  would  divorce  her  because  that 
woman  had  driven  him  to  distraction  by  her  amours  and 
her  extravagances,  so  that  to  avoid  domestic  scenes  the 
poor  fellow  had  returned  to  France,  hoping  to  be  killed  in 
battle  to  relieve  him  of  his  mental  anguish.  The  husband 
I  understand  is  an  officer.  Petit  was  a  truly  conscientious 
man  and  was  wrapped  in  his  work  as  missionary;  he  did 
not  practice  religion  as  a  cloak  to  cover  his  sins.  Tn  build 
he  was  an  athlete. 

None  of  Arica's  hotels  are  highly  recommendable  al- 
though the  Hotel  de  France,  or  Francia  as  the  natives  call 
it,  is  the  best.  It  is  run  by  an  accommodating  peroxide 
or  lemon  juice  blonde  Frenchwoman  about  forty  years 
old  who  is  heartily  sick  of  Arica  and  is  anxious  to  sell  out. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  391 

This  is  the  woman  whom  Dr.  Petit  had  no  respect  for. 
The  real  manager  of  the  hotel  is  her  brother,  a  good-for- 
nothing,  powerfully  built  creature  about  her  age  whose 
chief  pleasure  is  to  emulate  Smith's  example  by  over- 
indulgence in  alcoholic  refreshments  and  to  argue  and 
quarrel  with  the  guests. 

A  landmark  for  miles  around  is  the  solitary  rock  named 
the  Morro  de  Arica  which  towers  above  the  town.  It  is  a 
duplicate  of  Gibraltar,  and  was  one  of  Peru's  last  strong- 
holds during  the  Pacific  War.  It  was  defended  in  1880 
b}'  a  regiment  of  Bolognesi's  troops  under  Colonel  Uguarte. 
In  the  face  of  a  violent  storm  of  rifle  bullets,  the  Chilenos 
took  the  IVlorro  by  landing  a  short  distance  down  the  coast 
and  climbing  it  from  behind.  When  Uguarte  saw  that  he 
had  lost  he  spurred  his  horse  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice 
and  jumped  to  his  death  several  hundred  feet  below. 
Alany  of  his  followers  did  likewise  because  the  Chilenos 
had  the  reputation  of  taking  no  captives.  The  Morro 
is  now  strongly  fortified.  People  are  forbidden  to  make 
its  ascent  and  the  day  before  I  arrived  two  men  were 
thrown  into  jail  for  attempting  it.  In  front  of  the  Morro 
is  a  small,  low  guano  island.  It  is  used  as  a  fort  and  is 
honeycombed  so  that  it  can  hold  a  force  of  five  hundred 
men. 

The  day  after  we  arrived  a  northbound  Chilean  steamer 
put  into  the  harbor  of  Arica.  On  it  was  Kermit  Roosevelt 
returning  to  the  United  wStates  after  having  spent  some 
time  in  the  employ  of  the  National  City  Bank  at  Buenos 
Aires.  We  did  not  know  he  was  on  the  ship  until  walking 
down  one  of  the  streets  a  man  breathlessly  hurried  to- 
wards us  and  asked  us  if  either  one  of  us  were  Sehor  Roose- 
velt. Thinking  that  some  wag  had  told  the  gentleman 
one  of  us  was  Teddy,  Prat  answered  saying  that  he  was 
Colonel  Roosevelt.     Now  Prat  is  a  slender,  medium-sized 


392  Journeys  and  Experiences 

man  about  thirty  years  old  and  clean  shaven  and  I  cannot 
understand  what  kind  of  an  ass  that  Arica  gentleman  was 
when  he  accepted  Prat's  statement  and  believed  him.  He 
stated  that  there  was  a  delegation  already  to  meet  him  and 
that  he  himself  would  accompany  him  to  the  cahildo  where 
a  banquet  was  being  arranged.  A  crowd  gathered  around 
Prat  and  would  have  carried  him  off  by  force  if  an  Italian 
blacksmith  had  not  appeared  on  the  scene  who  had  seen 


Capitol  Building  at  Tacna 

Colonel  Roosevelt  and  told  the  natives  that  a  joke  was 
bemg  played  on  them. 

The  i^rovince  of  Tacna,  the  most  northern  in  Chile, 
formerly  belonged  to  Peru.  At  the  close  of  the  Pacific 
War  in  1880.  Chile,  the  victor  over  Peru  and  Bolivia 
annexed  to  her  already  long  seacoast  the  Bolivian  pro- 
vince Antofagasta  and  the  Peruvian  province  Tarapaca; 
Tacna  it  was  only  supposed  to  annex  temi)orarily.  Chile 
was  to  occupy  it  for  twenty  years ;  a  vote  of  the  inhabitants 
was  then  to  be  taken  to  determine  which  country  it  should 
go  to.  Thirty-eight  years  have  passed  by  and  still  no  vote 
has  been  taken.     The  chances  are  that  it  will  alwavs  re- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    393 

main  Chilean.  To  keep  it  so,  Chile  has  seven  regiments 
in  the  province,  five  of  which  are  stationed  at  Tacna,  the 
capital  city.  The  present  government  has  tried  to  Chilen- 
ize  the  province  by  planting  within  its  confines  men  from 
the  south  of  the  republic  so  that  even  in  the  event  of  a  vote, 
which  is  doubtful,  the  majority  will  be  in  favor  of  the  pre- 
sent ownership.  It  is  another  Alsace  and  Lorraine  ques- 
tion because  Peru  is  always  thinking  of  the  da}^  when  it 


Street  in  Tacna  Showing  Earthquake  Proof  Houses 

will  get  it  ])ack  and  its  inhabitants  are  Peruvian  S3^ni- 
pathizers.  Peru  even  goes  through  the  sham  of  having 
Tacna  and  Arica  represented  in  its  congress  at  Lima. 

Tacna  is  thirty-eight  miles  north  of  Arica.  The 
connecting  railroad  is  the  oldest  in  South  America  having 
been  completed  in  1844.  The  railroad  at  first  skirts  a 
fertile  fringe  near  the  seashore  and  then  crosses  a  sandy 
desert  until  within  a  few  kilometers  of  Tacna  when  it 
enters  an  oasis  caused  by  irrigation  from  the  Caplina 
River,  all  of  whose  water  is  drawn  off  for  the  gardens  so 
that  none  of  it  empties  into  the  ocean. 

Tacna  lies  at  an  altitude  of  2820  feet  above  sea  level  but 


394  Journeys  and  Experiences 

so  imperceptible  is  the  rise  that  one  can  imagine  it  to  be  on 
the  same  level  plain  as  Arica.  The  population  is  14,176, 
including  five  thousand  soldiers.  The  city  appears  much 
larger.  The  ordinary  transient  would  carry  the  impres- 
sion that  it  is  a  town  of  twenty-five  thousand  people.  It 
is  a  healthy  place  yet  the  death  rate  exceeds  the  birth 
rate,  which  state  of  affairs  is  true  in  many  old  settled  towns 
all  over  the  world. 


^^^^ttx.. 

■fllHHI 

^^^ffi         1 

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Calle  Bolivar,  Tacna 

Tacna  is  a  beautiful  place  and  is  well  worth  a  visit.  It  is 
the  best  built  city  in  Chile  and  is  the  only  one  where  the 
buildings  are  of  stone.  It  is  opulent, — a  rarity  in  Chile,- 
its  inhabitants  are  refined,  educated,  and  wealthy.  There 
are  handsome  2)ublic  buildings,  large  stores,  and  spacious 
houses.  In  many  respects  Tacna  has  a  European  appear- 
ance. The  most  noticeable  object  that  strikes  one's  vision 
in  the  city  is  a  large  stone  shell  of  an  incompleted  cathedral 
with  two  massive  stone  towers.  The  square  trimming 
stones  are  of  a  pinkish  hue  while  the  ordinary  ones  are 
the  dun -colored  ones  of  the  country.  This  huge  shell  will 
never  be  completed.  It  was  built  from  the  plans  of  the 
French  architect,  Charles  Pitaud,  when  Tacna  was  a  Peru- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   395 

vian  city.  Then  came  the  Pacific  War  and  the  money  for 
its  completion  was  turned  into  other  channels.  Monsieur 
Pitaud  returned  to  Prance;  Chile  took  Tacna,  and  used 
much  of  the  iron  for  the  framework  of  the  cathedrnl  for 


^yfi^ 

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Fountain  in  Tacna 

Built  hv  Pitaud. 


military  ])urjjoses.  When  everything  again  became  nor- 
mal, the  people  wished  again  to  complete  the  cathedral. 
Pitaud  in  the  meantime  had  died  and  his  drawings  were 
never  found  so  it  was  impossible  to  complete  the  building. 
In  design  it  was  to  be  much  like  the  Duomo  in  Florence. 
Another  of  Pitaud's  works  of  art  is  the  bronze  fountain 


396  Journeys  and  Experiences 

in  the  Plaza  Colon.  It  was  cast  in  1868  and  is  the  finest 
in  the  Western  Hemisphere.  There  are  more  expensive 
ones,  elaborate  sculptures  of  marble,  but  none  its  equal 
artistically. 

The  streets  of  Tacna  are  paved,  most  of  them  with 
round  polished  stones,  and  many  are  bordered  with  trees 
i:)lanted  along  the  curbs.     There  is  much  verdure  and  the 


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Unfinished  Cathedral  in  Tacna 

This  building  was  designed  by  the  French  architect  Pitaud,  when  Tacna  was  Peruvian 
The  Chilean  War  came  on,  Pitaud  died  and  the  cathedral  was  never  finished. 


city  has  several  shady  plazas  with  statues.  There  is  a 
marble  one  to  Columbus  in  the  plaza  of  the  same  name. 
The  Alameda  Anibal  Pinto  is  a  garden  spot.  It  is  a  well- 
kept-up  lovely  parkway.  A  peculiarity  of  Tacna  is  the 
architecture  of  many  of  its  residences.  These  are  gabled, 
but  by  far  the  most  have  ' '  sawed  off ' '  gables.  In  these  the 
sides  slope  upwards  as  if  to  form  a  gable,  but  about  a  yard 
or  more  below  the  imaginary  peak,  they  terminate  in  a 
fiat  roof.  This  style  is  supposed  to  make  them  earth- 
quake resisting. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  397 

Of  the  six  Courts  of  Appeals  in  the  republic,  one  is  at 
Tacna.  Both  Antofagasta  and  Iquique  for  a  long  time 
have  been  trying  to  get  it  away  for  themselves,  but  so  far 
have  been  unsuccessful.  Of  the  five  regiments  stationed 
at  Tacna,  two  are  artillery,  two  are  infantry,  and  one  is 
cavalry.  There  was  an  engineer  corps  but  it  has  been 
moved  to  Copiapo. 

Tacna  has  a  good  hotel,  the  Raiteri,  owned  by  an  ItaHan 


5TVLE:     OF     TACMA    ARCHITECTURE". 


6UPPO5E0 


SAWED  OFF    GABLES, 
To   BE     EARTH  qvJAKE"    PRooF. 


of  the  same  name.  His  business,  which  has  somewhat 
fallen  off  since  the  Arica-La  Paz  railroad  has  been  com- 
pleted, is  large  enough,  however,  for  him  to  keep  two 
annexes  running.  His  hotel  is  one  of  the  best  in  rural 
Chile.  The  coffee  is  the  best  I  have  had  served  to  me  in 
South  America.  There  is  another  hotel  named  the  Tibios 
Banos  (Warm  Baths).  It  is  of  the  free  and  easy  sort 
where  when  you  engage  a  room  the  landlord  asks  you, 
"With  or  without?"  and  governs  the  price  accordingly. 
It  has  a  cool  grape  arbor  where  it  is  pleasant  to  repair 
hot  Sunday  afternoons  for  a  schuper  of  beer. 


39^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

In  an  obscure  corner  of  the  province  not  far  from  the 
Peruvian  line  lies  the  high,  broad  mountain  valley  of  the 
Ticalco  River,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  snow-capped 
mountains,  the  lowest  of  which  is  higher  than  the  highest 
mountains  of  North  America  save  McKinley,  St.  Elias, 
and  Popocatepetl.  The  Ticalco  is  joined  by  numerous 
freshets  from  the  melting  snow  and  like  a  silver  thread 
flows  through  this  valley  and  by  great  jumps  cuts  its  way 


Old  Residence,  Tacna 

through  a  gorge  before  it  finally  joins  with  the  Salado  at 
Talapalco  to  form  the  Sama,  the  national  boundary  with 
Peru.  Although  very  high,  of  all  the  valleys  of  the  Pro- 
vince of  Tacna,  the  Ticalco  is  the  most  fertile.  It  is  cold; 
no  fruit  excepting  the  apple  thrives,  but  as  a  recom])ense  it 
is  rich  in  oats  and  in  alfalfa.  In  this  valley  and  on  a  small 
stream  about  a  mile  above  where  it  flows  into  the  Ticalco 
River  lies  the  town  of  Tarata,  9919  feet  above  sea  level. 
Its  population  probably  numbers  five  hundred  souls.  It 
is  the  third  town  in  size  in  the  Province  of  Tacna.  It  is 
the  capital  of  a  department,  newly  created,  has  a  court 
house  and  a  barracks. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  399 

To  Tarata  1  went.  Don  Santiago  Carmona,  a  rich 
haciendero  of  Tarata,  was  in  Tacna  with  a  caravan  of 
thirty -one  mules  and  six  horses.  Accompanying  him  were 
five  muleteers.      One  of  the  horses  he  himself  rode.      Sev- 


Street  in  Tacna 


eral  times  a  year  he  made  these  trij^s.  He  would  drive  a 
herd  of  cattle'the  two  days'  trij)  into  Tacna,  sell  them,  and 
return  with  his  mules  laden  with  f^our,  oil  stoves,  kerosene, 
beans,  onions,  beds,  and  blankets.  On  the  narrow  streets  of 
Tacna  his  caravan  made  a  picturesque  sight.  I  expressed 
a  desire  to  see  Tarata,  and  the  man  to  whom  I  expressed 
it,  a  resident  of  Tacna  but  a  stranger  to  me  whom  I 
stopped  in  front  of  his  residence  to  inquire  into  the  history 


400  Journeys  and  Experiences 

of  the  unfinished  cathedral  and  with  whom  I  entered  into  a 
general  conversation,  said  that  he  would  speak  to  Senor 
Carmona  asking  his  permission  for  me  to  accompany  him 
on  his  return  trip.     He  would  let  me  know  the  result  later 


Calle  Miller,  Tacna 


al  my  hotel.  True  to  his  word,  late  in  the  afternoon  he 
appeared  at  the  hotel  bar  (the  place  where  most  business 
is  transacted  in  Chilean  small  towns)  bringing  with  him  a 
tall,  wind-tanned,  thin  man  of  about  fifty -five  years  of  age 
who  wore  a  straggling  grayish  beard  and  a  moustache 
of  the  Don  Quixote  type.  This  man  was  Don  Santiago 
Carmona.  He  said  that  he  was  returning  home  the  next 
morning  and  with  great  politeness  and  dignity  invited  me 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  401 

to  accompany  him  as  his  guest.  This  invitation  I  gladly 
accepted  and  for  their  kindness  I  treated  both  gentlemen  to 
as  much  Fernet  Branca  and  vermouth  as  they  could  handle, 
and  then  some. 

I  made  arrangements  with  Signor  Raiteri  for  three 
horses,  a  mozo,  provisions,  and  blankets.  It  is  certain  that 
Senor  Carmona  would  have  shared  blankets  with  Prat  and 
myself,  but  since  I  did  not  care  to  impose  upon  him  we 


i>->^' ; 


v1^ 


Alameda,  Tacna 

brought  our  own  equipment  which  in  reality  belonged  to 
Raiteri.  As  it  was  Carmona  refused  to  allow  me  to  use 
any  of  the  provisions  I  brought  along,  but  made  me  eat 
from  his  larder,  his  mozos  doing  the  cooking. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  started  froin  a  court- 
yard across  the  street  from  the  market.  Now  the  direct 
way  out  of  the  city  was  to  follow  the  Alameda,  but  Car- 
mona evidently  wishing  to  inspire  the  inhabitants  w4th  a 
reverence  for  his  own  importance  had  his  caravan  of  mules 
cross  the  Alameda  and  turn  up  the  main  street,  which 
indeed  created  a  general  diversion  for  all  the  clerks  ran  to 

the  sidewalk  and  the  pedestrians  halted  to  view  this  extra- 
26 


402  Journeys  and  Experiences 

ordinary  cavalcade.  At  the  parochial  church  we  again 
turned  into  the  Alameda  and  followed  that  avenue  the 
length  of  the  extremely  long  town. 

The  valley  of  the  Caplina  is  narrow,  fertile,  and  is  a  veri- 
table garden.  One  thing  I  noticed  as  we  left  the  city 
behind.  We  would  come  to  fields  in  the  height  of  pro- 
duction with  irrigation  ditches  full  of  water.  Adjoining 
them  we  would  see  parched  fields  of  bushes  trying  to  eke 
out  a  meager  existence.  The  flow  of  water  from  the  Cap- 
lina is  not  sufficient  to  supply  all  the  arable  land  in  the 
valley.  A  farmer  will  raise  crops  for  several  years  in  one 
field;  then  when  the  soil  has  run  out  he  will  cultivate  an 
adjoining  field,  neglecting  the  first  one,  and  will  deviate  the 
water  to  the  new  one.  After  a  few  years  he  will  give  up 
the  new  field  and  return  to  the  first  one  which  in  the  mean- 
time has  been  fertilized  by  nitrate.  Since  there  are  but 
few  cattle  on  the  coastal  plain,  no  manure  is  used  to  bring 
up  the  land,  but  nitrates  are  easily  imported  from  Pisagua. 
On  account  of  nitrates  washing  away  they  are  put  on  the 
uncultivated  land  during  the  period  that  the  fields  are  not 
in  use.  The  road  follow^s  the  right  bank  of  the  stony  river 
bed  whose  water  has  been  turned  aside  to  water  the 
quintas  as  the  small  gardens  are  called.  In  some  spots 
there  is  an  intermission  of  the  cultivation  where  the 
sandy  desert  comes  down  to  the  river  bed,  but  the  trees 
and  green  gardens  always  begin  again.  From  this  valley 
Iquique  receives  most  of  its  fruits  and  vegetables. 

Calientes  which  we  reached  after  six  hours'  travel  but 
which  can  be  reached  in  one  and  a  half  hours  by  auto- 
mobile and  in  tw^o  and  a  half  by  carriage,  is  the  place  where 
we  left  the  road.  On  our  way  there  we  passed  through 
three  hamlets — Calana,  La  Vilca,  and  Pachia.  Each  has 
a  cantina  and  thither  Don  Santiago,  Prat,  and  myself  re- 
paired to  moisten  our  dusty  throats  with  native  red  wine 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    403 

while  the  mules  took  a  breathing  spell.  The  thirsty  mozos 
stood  humbly  at  one  end  of  the  cantina  drinking  their 
wine  in  silence  while  we  stood  at  the  counter  which  served 
as  a  bar.  Calientes  is  so  named  from  some  hot  springs 
which  here  gush  forth  from  the  sides  of  a  barren  mountain. 
They  are  sulphurous  and  when  the  rivulet  which  springs 
from  them  enters  the  Caplina,  the  water  is  turned  black 
caused  by  the  precipitate  the  sulphur  of  the  rivulet  makes 
with  the  copper  properties  of  the  Caplina.  There  are 
at  Calientes  but  a  few  huts.  Here  we  unsaddled  the 
beasts  and  in  the  hour's  rest  the  mozos  cooked  a  stew 
which  served  as  a  midday  repast. 

An  hour  after  leaving  Calientes  we  arrived  at  a  couple  of 
huts  which  are  called  Tacuco  and  two  hours  later  in  the 
dim  light  of  the  waning  day  reached  the  end  of  the  first 
day's  ride  at  the  hamlet  of  Challata  deep  down  in  the 
valley  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Pallagua.  The  night  was  cool 
and  the  bountiful  meal  of  cazuela,  stew,  and  vegetables 
eaten  before  a  roaring  camp-fire  with  the  murmuring  of  the 
rapidly  flowing  stream  at  our  feet  made  me  rejoice  that  I 
was  far  away  from  the  sham  and  inane  conventions  of 
modern  city  life.  A  peon  offered  us  his  only  bed  in  his  hut 
but  Don  Santiago  and  myself  spread  our  blankets  on  some 
straw  pallets  in  an  open  shed  with  the  starlit  sky  for  a 
canopy,  and  there  we  slept  until  awakened  by  the  sonorous 
grunting  of  sows  at  dawn. 

"We  have  a  hard  day  ahead  of  us,"  remarked  Seiior 
Carmona  after  we  forded  the  Caplina  and  started  the  steep 
ascent  up  the  sandy  side  of  Pallagua.  A  high  mountain 
range  to  the  right  had  shut  off  a  vista  of  the  snow  peaks  of 
the  Cordillera,  but  upon  reaching  a  stony  plateau,  sud- 
denly the  high  dome  of  the  extinct  volcano  Tacora,  19,338 
feet  high  reared  its  lofty  summit  above  the  whole  eastern 
mountain  chain.     To  the  northeast  appeared  Uchusuma, 


404  Journeys  and  Experiences 

18,023  feet  high,  while  near  at  hand  were  the  ice  fields  of 
the  Cordillera  del  Baroso.  These  high  mountains  are 
visible  from  Arica,  at  which  port  the  Andes  come  nearer 
the  ocean  than  at  any  other  place  on  the  South  American 
continent  except  Puerto  Montt.  After  two  hours'  climb  up 
the  barren  ridge  we  reached  a  spine  and  then  descended 
by  zigzags  to  the  canyon  formed  by  the  Quebracho  de 
Chero  in  which  grew  a  few  mountain  shrubs  not  unlike 
chaparral.  In  Indian  file  we  followed  the  narrow  trail 
between  the  mountains  Pallagua  (altitude  13,065  feet)  on 
the  right  and  Palquilla  (altitude  12,415  feet)  on  the  left 
and  arrived  at  midday  at  the  Pass  of  Caquilluca  about 
12,000  feet  above  the  sea  level  where  we  rested  a  couple  of 
hours  and  had  our  dinner. 

Behind  us  all  was  desert  and  as  we  looked  westward  past 
the  numerous  creases  of  the  earth's  surface  which  were 
arid  canyons  and  valleys  we  could  see  the  limitless  expanse 
of  the  blue  Pacific  Ocean.  At  our  feet  to  the  north  and 
west  lay  a  valley  as  green  as  an  emerald  traversed  by  sil- 
very streams,  and  dotted  with  light  blue  farmhouses.  In 
the  distance  was  a  cluster  of  buildings  which  I  was  told  was 
Tarata.  Hemming  in  the  whole  valley  were  the  mountains 
whose  snowy  bulwarks  formed  a  circle  leaving  only  one  gap 
that  in  the  northwest  through  which  the  Ticalco  flowed. 
These  mountains  from  west  to  east  were  Cumaile  (altitude 
I7>^95  feet),  Vivini  (altitude  17,733  feet),  Chihcolpa 
(altitude  18,303  feet),  Chiliculco  (altitude,  16,835  feet), 
Barroso,  and  Uchusuma. 

It  was  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  the  caravan, 
having  clattered  over  the  narrow  pebbly  streets  of  Tarata, 
pulled  up  at  the  Casa  de  Huespedes  (Guests'  House)  where 
I  was  to  spend  the  night.  Senor  Carmona  made  me 
acquainted  with  the  fat  mixed-breed  Vargas  who  owns  the 
tambo,  and  after  admonishing  him  to  take  good  care  of  me. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   405 

he  galloped  off  to  his  three-league-distant  ranch  saying  that 
he  would  look  me  up  the  next  afternoon. 

Tarata  does  not  lie  on  level  ground  as  it  appears  from 
the  mountains  above  the  town.  The  streets  slope  steeply 
down  to  the  Ticalco  which  is  no  more  than  a  creek.  Near 
its  banks  is  a  narrow  level  stretch  of  land  where  the  plaza, 
town  hall,  and  church  stand.  This  stream  not  only  serves 
for  irrigating  purposes  but  it  is  likewise  the  sole  supply  for 
potable  water  and  for  washing  purposes.  Every  morning 
its  banks  are  cluttered  with  half-breed  and  Indian  women 
who  lay  their  laundry  on  the  stony  slopes  of  the  stream 
to  dry.  On  the  plaza  which  is  bordered  by  Lombardy 
poplars  is  a  bandstand  where  twice  a  week  a  six-piece  band 
plays.  Beneath  these  trees  is  a  fringe  of  alfalfa  where 
the  village  cows  graze.  Like  in  Tacna  the  houses  have 
the  same  sawed-off  gables,  and  like  in  that  city  they  are 
painted  tones  of  salmon  and  blue.  The  town  hall  is  the 
only  two-story  building  in  the  place  and  with  the  exception 
of  the  church  belfry  it  is  the  tallest.  The  church  is  a 
cream-colored  affair  with  a  domed  steeple  rising  from  the 
center  of  its  fagade.  On  it  painted  in  red  is  the  inscrip- 
tion "Anno  1808,"  the  date  of  its  founding. 

Strolling  about  the  village  I  was  surprised  to  see,  through 
the  windows  of  the  residences,  pianos,  and  one  saloon  had  a 
billiard  table.  It  required  much  labor  to  bring  them  here 
for  all  transportation  of  merchandise  is  done  by  mule 
back.  In  the  fields  were  many  llamas.  They  are  never 
used  in  carrying  burdens  to  the  low  altitudes  because  they 
sicken  while  at  work  below  six  thousand  feet  elevation. 
In  the  high  altitudes  both  llamas  and  mules  are  used  for 
beasts  of  burden.  Horses  are  employed  only  for  pleasure 
riding  as  they  cannot  stand  the  lightness  of  the  atmosphere 
to  work  in.  Llamas  refuse  to  carry  more  than  one  hun- 
dred pounds  burden,  and  no  matter  how  much  beating  they 


4o6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

receive,  are  persistent  in  their  refusal  to  be  laden  with 
more.  They  are  not  so  docile  as  they  look.  Their 
method  of  fighting  is  to  run  up  and  strike  one  with  their 
forefeet ;  they  also  spit  a  nauseating  substance  at  a  stranger 
if  he  approaches  too  close  to  one  of  them.  One  of  them  did 
this  trick  on  me  and  when  I  assailed  it  with  my  riding  crop 
it  struck  at  me  with  its  forefeet.     A  kick  from  me  in  its 


Street  in  Tarata 


belly  only  gave  me  the  satisfaction  of  making  it  grunt. 
Its  disgusting  saliva  nearly  ruined  a  suit  of  my  clothes. 

In  the  afternoon  on  the  day  after  my  arrival  in  Tarata, 
Senor  Carmona  came  to  the  Casa  de  Huespedes  and  asked 
me  to  call  on  the  priest  with  him.  The  latter,  Padre 
Albarracin  lived  in  an  adobe  house  which  had  a  broad 
verandah  adjoining  the  cream-colored  church.  When  we 
entered  he  w^as  sitting  in  the  joatio  behind  a  morning-glory 
vine  talking  with  two  officers  of  the  Chilean  army,  Captain 
Frias  and  Lieutenant  Guzman.  They  had  evidently  been 
"hitting  it  up"  as  was  evidenced  by  several  empty  quart 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   407 

bottles  of  chicha  (grape  cider)  lying  about,  and  also  for  the 
fact  that  each  of  the  trio  held  a  glass  half -filled.  We  were 
invited  to  join  with  them  in  the  libation  and  I  discovered 
that  this  drink,  ordinarily  a  temperance  beverage,  had 
fermented  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  the  imbiber  feel 
as  if  he  were  walking  on  wires.  Shortly  after  we  arrived 
the  two  officers  left  and  the  priest  invited  us  to  remain 
for  dinner. 

He  clapped  his  hands  to  which  a  chola  girl  appeared. 

"Kill  the  two  game  cocks  that  got  whipped  last  week, 
and  throw  them  in  the  kettle,"  he  commanded. 

Our  conversation  turned  to  hidden  treasure  and  an- 
tiquities which  the  neighboring  mountains  are  said  to  be 
full  of  if  we  can  believe  legend.  Tarata  is  in  the  heart  of 
what  once  was  the  great  Inca  Empire.  Upon  the  advent 
of  the  Spaniards  the  Incas  hid  from  them  the  greater  part 
of  their  ornaments  of  silver  and  gold  where  they  remain 
undiscovered  to  this  day.  The  Spaniards  worked  the 
mines  of  Peru,  Chile,  and  Bolivia,  but  they  in  turn  for  three 
centuries  were  a  prey  to  the  pirates  which  ravaged  the 
coast  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  bury 
their  wealth  to  keep  it  from  them.  The  Catholic  Church 
in  South  America  was  always  wealthy  in  its  amount  of 
gold  ornaments,  so  when  the  Inquisition  was  overthrown, 
it  was  in  vogue  for  the  citizens  to  loot  the  churches.  In 
order  to  save  its  wealth  from  rapinous  hands,  the  clergy 
sequestered  much  of  its  treasure  in  the  mountains.  Priests 
were  murdered  by  pillaging  bands  of  Indians  and  with 
their  death  was  lost  the  cue  to  the  hiding-places.  Enough 
treasure  has  been  found,  practically  stumbled  upon,  to  give 
authenticity  that  vast  amounts  have  been  hidden,  but  the 
only  person  in  modem  times  that  made  a  fabulously  rich 
haul  was  Valverde  in  Ecuador,  who  was  wise  enough  when 
he  found  his  treasure  to  return  to  Spain  and  die  in  opulence. 


4o8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Padre  Albarracin  excused  himself  and  soon  returned 
bringing  with  him  two  images  several  inches  long  w^hich 
he  said  were  Inca  idols  of  silver.  He  also  stated  that  they 
were  in  good  hands  because  the  pagans  could  not  get  them 
as  long  as  they  were  in  his  possession ;  the  drunker  he  got 
the  oftener  he  would  repeat  this  and  utter  quotations 
from  the  Scripture  such  as  this :  ' '  Their  idols  are  of  silver 
and  gold,  the  work  of  men's  hands.  Eyes  have  they,  but 
they  see  not,"  etc.  When  he  finished  he  would  ask  me: 
' '  It  applies,  does  it  not  ?     These  idols  are  of  silver. ' ' 

Then  with  a  sweep  he  would  send  them  flying  from  the 
table.  Once  I  ran  to  pick  them  up.  "Do  they  please 
you?"  he  asked.  I  answered  in  the  affirmative.  "Then 
you  may  have  them,  "  he  said.  He  then  expounded  on  the 
great  sacrifice  he  was  making  saying  that  these  two  mani- 
kins were  the  identical  ones  Holy  Writ  referred  to  and  that 
they  were  priceless  on  account  of  it. 

After  supper  when  I  was  examining  one  he  grabbed  it 
away  from  me,  climbed  on  a  chair,  and  placed  it  on  top  of  a 
wardrobe.  When  I  asked  him  why  he  did  that  he  replied 
that  he  was  hiding  it  because  he  feared  that  I  w^ould  wor- 
ship it.  I  told  him  that  there  was  little  chance,  which 
made  him  quote  more  Scripture  such  as :  "  Let  the  heathen 
rage,  and  the  people  imagine  a  vain  thing." 

When  he  went  to  get  another  bottle  of  chicha,  I  removed 
the  idol  from  the  wardrobe.  The  other  one  was  lying  on 
the  mantlepiece  and  I  took  them  both  because  he  gave 
them  to  me.  I  have  shown  these  idols  to  many  people 
and  although  I  have  had  them  stolen  several  times  by 
acquaintances,  I  have  always  got  them  back.  Regarding 
antiquities  Sefior  Carmona  made  me  a  present  of  a  plate  of 
solid  silver  hand  wrought  in  Cuzco  in  the  end  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  On  its  face  are  the  portraits  of  Pizarro 
and  of  Atahulapa  carved  in  silver.     Although  it  was  of  no 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   409 

value  to  Carmona,  who  would  have  been  unable  to  sell 
it  for  more  than  its  intrinsic  value  of  metal,  I  have  been 
offered  three  thousand  dollars  for  it  which  I  refused  to 
consider. 

Padre  Albarracin  was  getting  so  drunk  that  both  Don 
Santiago  and  myself  excused  ourselves  soon  after  supper. 
Coming  out  of  the  house,  Prat  stumbled  over  something 
lying  in  the  garden.  It  was  Lieutenant  Guzman  in  full 
dress  uniform,  soused  and  dead  to  the  world.  Things 
were  just  as  bad  at  the  Casa  de  Huespedes.  Captain 
Frias  was  asleep  with  his  head  on  the  dining  room  table, 
and  Vargas  fell  down  the  stairs  trying  to  show  Carmona 
his  room.  The  cause  of  the  debauch  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  Don  Santiago  brought  up  much  wine,  gin,  vermouth, 
and  grape  chicha  with  his  mule  caravan.  The  shaking  the 
chicha  got  en  route  augmented  its  fermentation  which 
made  it  as  bad  as  hard  cider.  The  night  before  when  we 
arrived  he  had  left  six  cases  to  be  distributed  to  the  priest, 
the  alcalde,  the  intendente,  Captain  Frias,  Vargas,  and  the 
notary. 

The  next  day  I  rode  to  Carmona's  hacienda  which  is 
located  about  nine  miles  up  the  Ticalco  River  on  a  level 
expanse  of  land  which  stretches  northward  to  the  stony 
slopes  of  the  barren  mountain  Cumaile.  The  house  itself 
is  a  long,  low,  rambling  affair  of  adobe  which  was  once 
whitewashed,  but  that  so  long  ago  that  but  little  of  the 
white  color  is  left  on  its  sides.  It  rains  in  this  region  and 
the  broad  tiles  of  the  roof  are  the  only  things,  I  take  it, 
which  prevented  the  building  from  being  melted  by  the 
rains.  A  compound  originally  enclosed  the  whole  building, 
flower  garden,  and  adjacent  peon  and  work  sheds,  but  at 
the  present  time  only  pieces  of  wall  of  this  compound  re- 
main. It  was  destroyed  in  1881  by  the  Chilean  soldiers 
who  here  besieged  the  Peruvian  landlord  who  had  fortified 


410  Journeys  and  Experiences 

himself  and  held  out  behind  the  walls.  Everywhere  on 
the  landscape  steers  grazed  in  tall  alfalfa,  fattening  them- 
selves for  the  butcher  shops  of  the  coast  towns. 

Most  of  the  civil  inhabitants  of  Tacna  and  Tarata  are  of 
Peruvian  origin  having  either  been  born  there  when  the 
Chilean  Province  of  Tacna  formed  part  of  the  Peruvian 
Province  of  Moquegua,  or  are  descendants  of  people  born 
before  the  Pacific  War.  Tacna  is  an  old  town  of  stone 
buildings,  not  at  all  Chilean  in  character,  but  very  much 
like  the  larger  towns  of  south  central  Peru.  The  natives 
have  strong  Peruvian  sympathies  and  are  always  living  in 
hope  that  some  day  or  other  Tacna  and  Arica  will  be 
returned  to  Peru.  Now  this  is  ridiculous  because  Chile 
has  no  intention  of  giving  these  places  up,  although  the 
resources  of  the  Province  of  Tacna  are  small.  The  most 
important  feature  is  that  Arica  is  the  seaport  of  La  Paz, 
Bolivia,  and  it  is  well  for  Chile  to  retain  possession  of  it. 
Tacna  was  a  poor  town  when  it  was  Peruvian ;  the  majority 
of  its  inhabitants  lived  in  poverty.  Since  it  has  become 
Chilean,  it  has  prospered  and  is  to-day  very  wealthy.  This 
is  largely  due  to  live  regiments  which  are  stationed  there 
and  which  bring  money  into  the  town.  For  the  past 
thirty  years  Peru  has  passed  through  many  changes  of  gov- 
ernments, and  revolutions  have  been  frequent;  it  has  been 
misgoverned  and  unprogressive.  Chile,  although  it  can- 
not be  called  progressive  has  aims  that  way  but  has  been 
handicapped  from  the  want  of  money  and  immigration. 
It  has  only  had  one  revolution;  that  a  small  civil  war 
started  by  Balmaceda,  but  in  government,  progress,  and 
in  everything  else  is  so  far  ahead  of  Peru  that  it  seems 
incredible  that  the  natives  of  the  Province  of  Tacna  are 
desirous  of  again  returning  to  Peru's  revolutionary  and 
mediaeval  yoke. 

Don  Santiago  Carmona  was  an  exceptional  haciendero 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    4'  i 

in  so  far  that  he  is  a  native  Chileno.  He  left  his  birthplace, 
La  Serena,  forty  years  ago  and  never  once  has  he  returned. 
His  military  service  was  spent  not  far  from  Temuco  where 
his  regiment  was  quartered  as  a  protection  to  the  settlers 
against  the  Araucanian  invasions.  For  this  reason  he 
took  no  ]:)art  in  the  Pacific  War.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  in  the  service  and  he  was  left  w4th  a  small  fortune. 
With  this  money  he  bought  from  the  Chilean  Government 
the  hacienda  that  he  now  resides  upon.  The  latter  had 
originally  confiscated  it  from  the  Peruvian  landlord  who 
had  fortified  himself  there  against  him.  Carmona  mar- 
ried a  Peruvian  girl  from  Tacna  who  had  long  since  died 
after  having  borne  two  sons.  One  of  these  sons  is  a 
haciendero  in  Ovalle  and  the  other  is  a  priest  in  vSjoain. 
The  latter  is  figuring  on  returning  shortly  to  Chile  because 
he  has  been  offered  a  sacerdotal  office  in  Santiago.  Car- 
mona has  become  wealthy  and  is  thinking  of  making  a 
a  trip  for  a  half-year's  duration  to  his  birthplace,  thence 
to  Ovalle,  Santiago,  and  Araucania.  He  also  has  a  desire 
to  see  Punta  Arenas. 

Prat  suggested  that  since  we  had  come  thus  far  towards 
Peru  by  land  that  it  would  be  as  well  to  continue  it  this 
way.  He  had  a  mortal  fear  of  seasickness  to  which  malady 
he  was  a  prey  every  time  he  put  foot  upon  a  ship  no  matter 
how  calm  the  water  was.  Now  I  had  no  maps  w4th  me  and 
did  not  know  how  to  get  to  Peru,  although  I  knew  that 
Tacna  was  the  northernmost  ]:)rovince  of  Chile  and  the 
boundary  line  was  no  great  distance  away.  To  get  infor- 
mation on  the  subject  I  went  to  Don  Santiago  who  told 
me  that  Moquegua  was  the  nearest  Peruvian  city,  but  that 
it  was  a  week  distant  over  a  hot,  sandy  desert,  and  that 
the  best  way  would  be  for  me  to  return  to  Arica  and  go  up 
the  coast  by  steamer.  He  said  that  in  Tarata  there  were 
people  who  had  made  the  horseback  ride  to  Moquegua 


412  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  that  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  hire  a  cholo  to 
accompany  us.  I  had  heard  about  bandits  in  the  interior 
and  asked  him  about  it.  He  answered  that  highwaymen 
existed  only  in  the  high  mountans  near  the  Bolivian  fron- 
tier, and  that  I  would  find  the  few  inhabitants  in  the  coun- 
try I  was  contemplating  traveling  through  very  docile. 
Beyond  the  Sama  River  which  was  Peru,  he  knew  nothing 
about  the  inhabitants  but  imagined  them  to  be  much 
the  same  as  on  the  Chilean  side  of  it.  The  Peruvian 
boundary  was  not  fifteen  miles  away,  yet  the  hacienderos 
of  the  neighborhood  seldom  crossed  it,  and  it  was  as  much 
of  a  tierra  incognita  with  them  as  is  the  interior  of  Chihua- 
hua to  the  ordinary  citizen  of  El  Paso,  Texas. 

At  Tarata,  through  the  services  of  the  notary  who  was  an 
intimate  of  Don  Santiago,  we  procured  an  overgrown  boy 
of  the  cholo  variety  who,  after  considerable  haggling,  pro- 
posed to  take  us  to  Moquegua  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
pesos  Chileno  (less  than  $20.00).  He  was  to  fetch  back 
the  beasts  that  we  were  to  procure  as  a  loan  from  Don 
Santiago.  Having  shipped  my  valise  to  Lima  from  Tacna, 
I  was  unencumbered  save  for  the  blankets  and  a  few  edibles 
which  I  carried.  Prat  was  attired  in  a  Palm  Beach  suit 
and  wore  a  straw  sailor  hat  which  looked  as  much  out  of 
place  in  this  part  of  the  country,  where  everybody  rode  in 
spurred  boots,  were  clad  in  ponchos,  and  wore  as  head  gear 
broad-brimmed  pointed  felt  hats,  as  a  snowball  in  hell. 

We  descended  the  valley  formed  by  the  Ticalco,  and 
after  riding  for  over  an  hour  came  to  a  place  where  a  stream 
from  the  north,  named  the  Ticaco,  joined  the  Ticalco  and 
formed  the  Pistala  River.  The  valley  narrowed  in  and 
presently  the  mountains  came  down  to  the  stream  so 
closely  that  one  could  with  ease  throw  a  stone  across  the 
canyon.  A  rocky  promontory  on  the  left  was  rounded 
and  the  green,  fertile  pocket  in  which  Tarata  nestles  was 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   413 

shut  from  view.  A  half-score  of  adobe  huts  with  red- 
tile  roofs  were  arrived  at.  These  constitute  the  hamlet 
of  Pistala,  all  of  whose  inhabitants  are  Indians.  The 
horse  trail,  instead  of  descending  with  the  river,  keeps  on  an 
even  altitude  so  that  it  is  soon  a  sheer  height  of  several 
hundred  feet  about  it,  its  way  having  been  dug  out  of  the 
shaly  rock  that  constitutes  the  side  of  the  mountains. 
Around  a  bend  is  a  narrow  canyon  and  down  this  it  zig- 
zags for  half  a  mile  and  finally  crosses  a  tiny  stream  named 
the  Jaruma,  which  a  mile  farther  down,  jumps  into  the 
Pistala  forming  a  new  river — the  Tala.  At  the  ford  of  the 
Jaruma  is  a  primitive  mill  with  a  huge  water  wheel.  From 
here  on  to  the  Sama  River  is  a  very  steep  descent  by  a 
narrow  bridle  path  and  very  dangerous  on  account  of  the 
precipices  which  form  a  gorge  through  which  the  waters  of 
the  Tala  rush  from  shelf  to  shelf  with  a  roar.  On  the 
narrow  mountain  path  we  met  a  troop  of  llamas  laden 
with  sugar  cane  and  tubers  in  charge  of  three  arrieros. 
At  our  approach  they  leaped  onto  the  rocks  above  as  nim- 
bly as  goats.  The  arrieros  and  ourselves  had  to  dismount ; 
they  backed  their  horses  to  a  ledge  and  we  led  ours  past 
them  before  mounting  again.  Where  the  Tala  joins  the 
Sama  it  must  be  two  thousand  feet  lower  than  Tarata. 
This  is  in  a  broad  valley  well  cultivated  to  corn,  potatoes, 
and  alfalfa  in  which  are  many  mud  huts  of  the  natives  and 
an  occasional  chapel.  The  river  bed  is  wide  but  the  stream 
itself  is  narrow  and  forks  out  in  many  channels  which  every 
little  way  unite  again.  The  Chilean  or  south  side  slopes 
gently  down  to  the  stream  in  some  places  leaving  a  plain 
of  a  mile  wide  at  the  water's  edge,  while  the  Peruvian 
side  is  mountainous,  precipitous,  and  uncultivated.  The 
mountains  are  absolutely  destitute  of  any  cultivation.  We 
continued  all  day  down  this  river,  following  the  Chilean 
side,  and  camped  at  night  beside  a  ruined  stone  wall  across 


4^4  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  stream  from  the  Peruvian  hamlet  of  Sambalai  Grande, 
at  an  altitude  of  3025  feet.  During  the  afternoon  the 
mountains  had  receded  and  their  places  were  taken  by  high 
sandy  hills  the  essence  of  lonesome  desolation.  The  water 
in  the  river  had  much  diminished  having  been  used  largely 
for  irrigation.  I  was  told  that  what  little  there  is  left  is 
used  for  the  cane-fields  which  are  plenty  about  twenty-five 
miles  farther  down.  This  cane  is  not  made  into  sugar  but 
into  rum;  also  much  of  the  cane  is  cut  and  is  sent  up  on 
mule  back  to  the  high  country  where  the  natives  them- 
selves ferment  it,  using  the  pulp  as  fodder.  Estevan,  the 
cholo  guide,  although  polite  and  humble,  w^ould  never  talk 
unless  spoken  to  and  then  he  would  answer  in  mono- 
syllables. Prat  and  I  had  no  idea  how  far  Moquegua 
was  for  we  had  no  map ;  Carmona  said  it  would  take  a  week, 
but  he  had  never  been  there.  I  knew  it  could  not  be  that 
far  because  Ilo,  its  port,  is  only  a  half -day's  steam  north  of 
Arica,  and  we  were  now  considerably  north  of  that  last- 
mentioned  place.  I  several  times  asked  Estevan  how 
far  Moquegua  was,  but  to  each  query  he  would  answer  the 
highly  unintelligent  reply  of  "muy  lejo."  which  translated 
into  English  means  "very  far,"  but  fails  to  designate 
whether  the  distance  is  two  kilometers  or  two  thousand 
miles.  This  is  an  example  of  a  conversation  between 
Estevan  and  myself. 

"How  far  is  Moquegua?"  I  asked  him. 

"Muy  lejo"  (very  far),  he  answered. 

' '  How  far  ? ' ' 

"Lejo"  (far),  was  his  brilliant  answer. 

"Is  it  a  week's  journey?" 

' '  Qui  en  sabe ' '  (who  knows) . 

"Is  it  three  days  away?" 

"Dios  sabe"  (God  knows). 

' '  Can  we  make  it  in  one  day  ? " 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   415 

"No,  senor." 

"Can  we  make  it  in  two  days?" 

"I  do  not  know,  senor.  " 

' '  Can  we  make  it  in  three  days  ? ' ' 

"I  do  not  know,  senor.  " 

"You  have  made  the  trip  to  Moquegua  before?" 

"Si,  si,  senor"  (yes,  yes,  sir). 

"And  yet  you  don't  remember  how  long  it  took  you  to 
make  it?" 

"I  have  forgotten,  senor.  " 

The  country  across  the  river  did  not  look  very  inviting 
to  us  and  it  was  decidedly  exasperating  to  be  met  with 
answers  of  such  unintelligence  especially  as  we  had  to 
cross  what  appeared  to  be  a  duplicate  of  the  Mohave 
Desert.  We  forded  the  shallow  Sama  to  some  mud  huts 
in  a  field  of  alfalfa,  from  one  of  which  waved  the  washed- 
out  and  dirty  cloth  which  once  was  the  red,  white,  and  red 
flag  of  Peru.  No  sooner  had  we  reached  high  ground 
than  a  fat,  dirty  half-breed,  barefooted  and  wearing  filthy 
linen  trousers  beneath  a  faded  blue  military  coat  on  the 
shoulders  of  which  were  red  epaulettes,  planted  himself  in 
our  way  and  assuming  a  grandiose  air  of  mock  dignity 
inquired  our  business. 

"We  are  travelers  for  Moquegua,"  I  told  him. 

"What  is  your  business  there?"  he  asked  insolently. 

"To  visit  the  town." 

This  reply  took  some  time  to  penetrate  his  thick  skull. 
He  pondered  over  it  and  then  a  gleam  of  inteUigence  spread 
over  his  fat  countenance  which,  by  the  way,  was  smeared 
yellow  with  the  yoke  of  an  egg  he  had  just  been  eating,  as 
he  replied  in  an  interrogative  kind  of  a  way : 

"Ah,  Ustedes  son  Judios!"  (Ah,  you  are  Jews!) 

This  fat  guardian  of  the  frontier  had  taken  Prat  and 
myself  for  itinerant  Jews.     This  gentry  as  well  as  Turks 


41 6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

and  Armenians  occasionally  make  the  rounds  of  the  remote 
towns  peddling  their  wares,  such  as  cheap  finery,  pencils, 
looking-glasses,  buttons,  and  so  forth.  To  be  called  a  Jew 
without  an  inflection  of  the  voice  is,  in  Catholic  South 
America,  the  height  of  insult,  because  it  is  considered  the 
vilest  re]3roach  one  man  can  give  another  in  the  heat  of  an 
argument.  The  manner  in  which  this  officer  put  the  ques- 
tion to  us  was  meant  in  the  form  of  a  query.  Prat,  how- 
ever, being  a  Spaniard  and  a  none  too  amiable  one  at  that 
when  dealing  with  the  cholos  and  other  mixed  breeds, 
went  into  a  towering  rage  and  upbraided  the  official  in  the 
purest  and  most  blasphemous  Castillian  that  he  ever 
before  heard  and  which  caused  his  overbearing,  insolent, 
and  stupid  countenance  to  change  to  one  of  servility. 

"A  thousand  pardons,  sefior,"  he  cringingly  broke  in, 
"but  you  must  understand  that  I  have  received  my  com- 
mands to  interrogate  strangers  entering  Peru.  Not  that 
I  am  in  the  least  interested  myself,  but  the  government, 
alas 

"We  will  pardon  you  this  time  but  not  the  next,"  inter- 
posed Prat,  curtly  starting  to  ride  off. 

"Sefior,  senor,"  pleaded  the  official  calling  to  him. 
Prat  paid  no  attention.  I  swung  around  in  my  saddle 
asking  him  what  he  wanted. 

"Your  papers,"  answered  the  official.  "I  would  lose 
my  position  if  I  let  you  pass  without  seeing  them.  The 
pay  is  very  small  and  it  is  my  sole  income;  the  illustrious 
sefiores  would  not  be  so  ungracious  as  to  wish  to  see  me 
lose  that?"  he  entreated. 

I  showed  him  my  passport  which  he  looked  at,  then 
turned  upside  down,  frowningly  trying  to  figure  out  what 
it  was. 

"What  nationality  are  you ? "  he  inquired. 

"North  American." 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   417 

"What  language  is  this  paper  written  in?" 

"EngHsh,"  I  replied. 

A  puzzled  look  spread  over  the  stupid  face  of  my  inter- 
locutor. 

"How  is  it  then  that  you  have  an  English  passport 
since  you  are  a  North  American  ? ' ' 

"English  is  the  language  of  North  America." 

The  official  was  astounded.  "Pardon,  senor,  but  I 
thought  Spanish  was  the  language  of  entire  America." 

"You  are  mistaken,  "  I  replied. 

"How  is  it  then  that  you  gentlemen  speak  such  good 
Castillian.     You  speak  it  much  better  than  I  do." 

"I  learned  it  in  Spain,  "  I  answered.  "The  senor  with 
me  is  a  Spaniard." 

"Ah,  I  understand,"  answered  the  official.  I  could  see 
by  his  amazed  and  ignorant  look  that  he  did  not  under- 
stand but  was  unwilling  to  have  us  know  the  extent  of  his 
ignorance. 

' '  We  are  in  a  hurry  to  be  on  our  journey  to  Moquegua ; 
you  had  better  return  the  passport,"  I  said  as  I  tendered 
him  two  silver  pieces  of  the  one  sol  denomination,  the 
standard  monetary  unit  of  Peru.  A  sol  is  worth  fifty 
cents. 

"Mil  gracias,  seiior,  mil  gracias,"  answered  the  official 
thanking  me  profoundly.  Prat,  who  had  ridden  on,  now 
turned  back  and  wanted  to  know  what  was  delaying  me. 
He  was  on  the  point  of  letting  off  steam  anew  at  the 
cholo,  but  upon  seeing  me  give  him  a  tip,  he  threw^  a  piece 
of  silver  on  the  ground  at  the  fat  official's  feet.  It  was 
comical  to  see  the  latter  grovel  in  the  dust  to  pick  it  up. 

"Adios,  seiiores,"  he  yelled  after  us  as  we  spurred  our 
horses  into  a  gallop  and  were  soon  lost  to  sight. 

Upon  our  reaching  the  top  of  a  high,  barren  hill,  a  vista 
of  a  parched  and  sandy,  barren  imitation  of  the  Sahara 

87 


41 8  Journeys  and  Experiences 

unveiled  itself  before  us.  Everywhere  lay  the  bones  of 
oxen  and  mules.  This  was  the  horrible  desert  of  Pampa 
Zorra  about  twenty  miles  wide,  which  it  took  us  over  four 
hours  to  cross,  in  a  hot,  desiccating,  blazing  sun.  The 
thermometer  must  have  been  in  excess  of  120  degrees 
Fahrenheit.  With  our  eyes  smarting  with  dust  and  our 
throats  parched  (we  partook  sparingly  of  the  water  from 
our  canteens),  we  arrived  shortly  after  midday  at  a  dry 
ravine  named  the  Coari.  Following  this  downwards 
between  high  hills  of  shale  rock  we  came  in  half  an  hour  to 
the  Curibaya  River  at  the  cluster  of  mud  huts  and  ranch 
house  of  Coari.  Here  were  some  green  fields  of  alfalfa 
surrounded  by  eucalyptus  trees. 

The  Curibaya  River  is  much  like  the  Sama,  only  its 
river  bed  is  narrower.  It  also  has  more  water,  there  being 
plenty  to  wet  one's  feet  in.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
cultivation  does  not  extend  as  high  in  its  bottom  as  in  the 
Sama  so  less  is  drawn  off  for  irrigation.  About  twenty 
miles  below  Coari  it  widens  out  into  a  broad  valley  of  great 
fertility ;  most  of  its  water  is  used  at  that  point  to  supply 
the  large  vineyards  in  that  neighborhood.  The  small 
remainder  loses  itself  in  the  sand  and  never  reaches  the 
ocean  excepting  during  times  of  cloudbursts  in  the  moun- 
tains. In  the  fertile  valley  is  the  small  city  of  Locumba, 
which  is  famous  for  its  grapes  and  wines  said  to  be  the  best 
in  Peru.  We  forded  Curibaya  before  we  reached  Coari 
and  then  turned  eastward  again,  ascending  the  valley. 
This  soon  forked  the  Ilabaya  joining  it  from  the  north. 
The  latter  is  a  swiftly  rushing  and  jumping  rivulet;  our 
trail  lay  up  its  defile  and  we  must  have  crossed  it  two  dozen 
times  in  the  eight  miles  that  it  took  us  to  reach  the  town  of 
the  same  name  which  is  situated  in  a  high  open  valley, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  with  hills  not  entirely  devoid  of 
vegetation.     The  landscape  instead  of  being  sandy  was 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   419 

rocky  and  abounded  with  gray  boulders.  There  were 
several  varieties  of  cactus  and  a  plant  not  unlike  the  yucca, 

Ilabaya  is  a  typical  town  of  the  coastal  region  of  Peru, 
differing  greatly  from  Andean  cities  in  so  far  that  the 
houses  were  all  built  of  adobe.  The  roofs  instead  of  being 
of  mud,  were  tiled,  because  it  rains  several  times  a  year  in 
the  summer  months  and  the  mud  roofs  would  be  washed 
away.  In  Copiapo,  where  it  rains  only  once  in  a  decade, 
and  in  Tacna  where  it  never  rains,  the  roofs  are  of  mud,  but 
in  Tarata  and  here,  tiles  were  in  evidence.  Ilabaya  is  a 
larger  place  than  Tarata,  but  is  a  dirtier,  and  more  poverty- 
stricken  place.  It  is  also  a  terribly  hot  place,  and  swarmed 
with  flies  and  vermin ;  mangy  curs  abounded  and  the  odor 
of  the  streets  abounding  with  house  slops  and  garbage  was 
disgusting.  There  were  numerous  street  stands  in  front 
of  which  Indian  women  sat  offering  for  sale  melons,  oranges, 
and  pears,  but  not  once  during  the  part  of  the  afternoon 
that  I  was  there,  did  I  see  any  purchaser. 

Arrived  at  Ilabaya,  Estevan  said  that  we  had  better 
spend  the  night  there  because  he  thought  there  would  be 
no  water  the  next  stage.  We  dismounted  at  a  primitive 
blacksmith  shop  where  the  cholo  boy  was  apparently 
known,  and  carried  our  grips  inside.  Our  arrival  excited 
considerable  curiosity  because  much  of  the  male  populace 
soon  arrived  on  the  scene,  and  at  a  respective  distance 
looked  us  over,  and  then  began  to  become  interested  in 
our  grips  and  saddlebags.  One  urchin  tried  to  undo  the 
straps  of  my  suit  case  but  a  threatening  blow  with  my  stick 
made  him  desist  and  seek  shelter  behind  one  of  the  grown- 
up half-breeds.  The  usual  questions  were  asked  to  which 
Prat  and  myself  deigned  to  reply,  but  strange  to  say 
Estevan  found  his  tongue  among  those  of  his  own  breed 
and  there  was  let  loose  a  volume  of  Babel  in  the  Quichua 
language  which  was  surprising  to  me  since  I  did  not  realize 


420  Journeys  and  Experiences 

that  language  had  such  a  large  vocabulary.  I  had  for- 
gotten temporarily  that  the  early  padres  had  translated 
the  Bible  in  Quichua  and  had  them  printed  in  that  lan- 
guage. I  saw  one  of  these  books  among  the  church  relics 
in  Cuzco. 

I  interrupted  Estevan's  garrulity  with  a  prod  of  my 
stick,  and  asked  him  where  we  were  to  find  lodging. 

"Quien  sabe"  (who  knows),  he  whiningly  replied  in  the 
singsong  tones  used  by  all  cholos  in  their  conversation  with 
their  superiors.  If  a  stupid  cholo  or  Indian  does  not  know 
what  answer  to  give  he  invariably  says  "quien  sabe"  and 
lets  it  go  at  that.  I  expostulated  with  him  telling  him 
that  he  must  procure  for  us  lodging.  This  he  translated 
into  his  native  language  to  the  crowd  of  spectators.  A 
small  boy  in  the  group  said  that  he  thought  that  a  certain 
old  woman  who  lived  at  the  end  of  the  town  would  take  in 
lodgers  and  offered  to  direct  us  there  and  carry  our  grips. 
We  set  out  down  the  long  straggling  street  of  adobe  hovels 
and  arriving  at  our  destination  found  the  door  was  shut. 
The  boy  knocked  but  no  response  came.  I  then  banged 
on  the  door  with  my  stick.  Presently  the  head  of  a  with- 
ered hag  appeared  at  a  shutter  and  asked  what  we  w^anted. 

"We  want  lodging  for  the  night,  "  I  answered. 

"Ah,  senores,  but  I  am  too  old,"  she  vsaid.  "At  the 
next  street  to  the  right  in  the  second  house  lives  Carmen 
Vargas.  She  is  young  and  makes  a  business  of  it ! "  The 
old  woman  was  on  the  point  of  closing  the  shutters  when  I 
called  to  her  again. 

' '  You  do  not  understand.  We  are  travelers  on  our  way 
to  Moquegua  and  wanted  to  pay  for  a  room  to  sleep  in 
to-night.  "     I  then  held  up  a  couple  of  silver  soles. 

"I  see.  A  thousand  pardons,  sefiores.  I  thought  that 
you  were  looking  for  some  pleasure  with  the  muchachas. 
How  much  will  you  pay  for  a  room? 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   421 

"One  sol  apiece." 

"It  is  not  enough." 

"We  will  make  it  two,  if  it  includes  meals." 

"Ah,  seiiores,  but  I  am  a  poor  woman  and  must  live. 
For  three  soles  I  can  accommodate  you." 
We  agree,  but  it  is  expensive. ' ' 

"Look  at  your  room,  "  she  said,  as  she  opened  the  door. 
"It  is  fit  for  a  king."  She  ushered  us  into  a  chamber 
which  was  semi-storeroom  and  sleeping  quarters.  Boxes 
and  dusty  bottles  littered  one  side  of  the  fioorless  apart- 
ment, and  spider  webs  hung  from  the  rafters.  There  was 
an  iron  cot  in  the  corner  on  which  was  a  straw  pallet  but 
there  were  no  sheets  nor  blankets.  I  spoke  to  her  about 
getting  another  cot  and  she  said  she  would  procure  one. 
As  for  blankets,  she  had  none,  but  since  the  senores  must 
have  their  own,  having  come  from  some  distance,  we  could 
naturally  spread  ours  on  the  cots.  In  the  meantime  if  we 
would  return  about  seven  she  would  have  for  us  an  excel- 
lent comida. 

The  comida  turned  out  to  be  a  thin  soup  whose  ingredi- 
ents were  unknown  to  us  and  in  which  floated  chicken 
feathers.  This  was  followed  by  a  disgusting  stew  and 
some  meat  of  an  unknown  quality,  highly  seasoned,  which 
might  have  been  a  camouflage  for  one  of  the  mangy  curs 
that  abounded  in  the  village. 

There  were  plenty  of  cantinas  in  the  small  town  and  I 
assume  that  they  were  well  patronized  from  the  number  of 
intoxicated  Indians  that  I  counted.  Bottled  beer  from 
the  Cerveceria  Alemana  at  Arequipa  here  sold  for  fifty  cen- 
avos  (25  cents)  a  bottle  and  was  drunk  warm.  Strong 
liquor  was  much  cheaper  than  beer  and  was  likewise  more 
favored.  There  were  quite  a  few  young  dudes  in  the  vil- 
lage and  at  evening  they  appeared  togged  up  to  what  they 
considered  perfection,  wearing  carefully  polished  patent 


422  Journeys  and  Experiences 

leather  shoes,  high  stiff  collars,  flowing  black  ties;  all 
carried  canes.  This  stylish  dressing  among  the  males  is  in 
vogue  all  over  South  America.  It  is  a  sign  of  caste  or  class 
distinction.  It  is  the  ambition  of  all  young  men  to  be 
dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion  no  matter  how  remote  their 
village  is  from  the  beaten  road  of  civilization.  I  have  seen 
this  same  class  of  dudes  everywhere  south  of  Panama,  from 
the  isolated  mountain  towns  of  Colombia  to  the  mosquito- 
infested  hamlets  of  Paraguay.  There  is  also  a  class  dis- 
tinction in  traveling.  A  man  who  rides  on  horseback  is 
superior  to  one  who  rides  on  a  mule ;  he  who  rides  on  a  mule 
is  superior  to  the  one  who  travels  on  the  back  of  a  donkey. 
But  beware  not  to  travel  on  foot  in  the  Andean  countries, 
even  though  it  be  a  pleasure  jaunt  for  a  short  distance 
in  the  country.  The  pedestrian  is  looked  down  upon  by 
the  lowliest  peons  and  is  held  by  them  in  greater  odium 
than  the  hobo  is  held  by  us  at  home.  Good  clothes  and 
high  collars  cease  to  show  caste  when  applied  to  the  person 
who  makes  a  foot  tour.  He  will  invariably  be  turned 
down  when  asking  for  lodging  or  meals  en  route.  It  is 
also  wise  not  to  travel  on  foot  on  account  of  the  ferocious 
dogs  to  be  met  with,  which  never  run  out  and  bark  at  the 
equestrian. 

About  nine  o'clock  that  night  while  walking  down  the 
only  thoroughfare  that  could  go  by  the  name  of  street, 
I  met  Prat  at  a  comer  conversing  with  a  dandy,  who  like 
Prat  wore  a  straw  hat  and  sported  a  slender  cane.  "This 
is  my  compatriot,  "  said  he;  "allow  me  to  introduce  you  to 
my  friend,  Senor  Giiell. "  The  dude  bowed  and  Prat 
went  on  to  explain  that  his  new  acquaintance  was  a  Cata- 
lonian  from  Gerona  and  had  been  in  Peru  for  four  years, 
the  last  two  of  which  he  had  spent  in  the  employ  of  a  wine 
merchant  of  Locumba.  Giiell  said  that  Moquegua  was  but 
a  short  dav's  ride  which  was  not  at  all  tiresome.     He  had 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   423 

made  the  trip  dozens  of  times  for  his  firm  and  was  thinking 
of  doing  so  again  in  a  few  days.  He  was  at  pre.sent  in  Ila- 
baya  collecting  some  debts  for  his  employer.  I  left  the 
Spaniards  on  the  comer  conversing  and  strode  off  to  the 
hut  where  I  was  rooming.  I  went  into  the  room  assigned 
to  us,  and  although  there  was  another  cot  there,  there  were 
no  blankets.     The  cholo.  Estevan,  had  evidently  forgotten 


Street  in  Dabaya,  Peru 


to  bring  them  although  at  six  o'clock  he  had  promised 
faithfully  to  do  so  in  "un  momentito,  senor.  "  I  walked 
back  to  the  blacksmith  shop  where  we  had  unsaddled  but 
found  that  like  all  the  other  buildings  closed  for  the  night. 
As  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  find  Estevan,  I  re- 
turned to  the  dingy  hut  and  throwing  my  coat  on  the  cot 
in  the  place  of  a  pillow  I  lay  down  on  the  iron  springs  and 
tried  to  sleep.  This  was  impossible.  At  midnight  Prat 
had  not  returned  nor  had  he  come  back  by  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  There  was  no  need  worrying  about  him 
because  he  was  perfectly  capable  of  taking  care  of  himself, 


424  Journeys  and  Experiences 

but  I  was  at  the  same  time  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  where 
he  was.  At  six  o'clock,  finding  that  any  attempt  to  slum- 
ber would  be  futile,  I  went  out  into  the  street  and  walked 
about. 

I  went  to  the  blacksmith  shop  which  was  about  to  open 
for  the  day  to  inquire  about  the  horses.  The  blacksmith 
was  already  there  and  when  questioned  about  Estevan 
merely  answered,  "Quien  sabe,"  and  then  went  on  about 
his  work.  Presently  the  same  boy  that  had  conducted  me 
to  the  house  where  I  obtained  lodging  appeared  and  asked 
me  if  I  w^as  looking  for  my  arriero.  I  replied  that  I  was, 
whereupon  the  urchin  said  in  his  patois,  "Se  scapo, " 
which  in  Castillian  would  be  "e  scapado,  "  meaning  "he 
has  escaped. " 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked. 

"He  has  run  away.  " 

' '  He  has  run  away  ?     What  do  you  mean  by  that  ? " 

"He  sold  the  horses  and  has  run  away. " 

At  that  encouraging  piece  of  intelligence,  several  other 
boys  appeared  and  from  their  conversation  I  gathered  that 
Estevan  the  previous  night  had  sold  the  horses  with  blan- 
kets to  a  mountaineer  and  that  he  had  then  taken  French 
leave.  You  may  imagine  my  anger,  especially  since  the 
horses  were  but  a  loan  to  us  from  Don  Santiago  Carmona 
and  were  worth  at  least  seventy-five  dollars  apiece  in 
North  American  money.  When  I  asked  if  anybody  knew 
where  Prat  was,  they  volunteered  the  information  that  he 
and  a  friend  of  his  were  visiting  some  young  ladies.  This 
was  a  new  one  on  me  since  Prat  was  absolutely  unkno^\^l 
in  Ilabaya  and  no  young  ladies  that  I  knew  of  would  enter- 
tain two  guests  so  late  as  this. 

"Which  young  ladies  is  he  calling  on?"  I  inquired, 
mystified. 

On  la  Carmen ;  she  lives  near  the  end  of  the  village.  " 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   425 

It  now  dawned  upon  me  that  Prat  was  at  the  bagnio  of 
Carmen  Vargas  and  that  accounted  for  him  not  showing  up 
at  the  hut.  I  proceeded  down  the  street  to  rout  him  out 
but  had  not  gone  far  before  I  ran  into  him  and  Giiell,  both 
in  a  state  of  intoxication.  Prat  was  just  emerging  from 
the  jovial  stage  and  was  entering  upon  an  ugly  mood. 
Save  for  his  bloodshot  eyes  and  the  reek  of  alcohol,  he  was 
as  immaculate  as  ever,  but  the  dude  was  a  sight  to  behold. 
His  side  and  back  were  covered  with  dust ;  only  one  flap  of 
his  collar  was  buttoned,  the  other  flying  in  the  air ;  his  hair 
was  unkempt,  and  his  hat  was  awry.  He  could  hardly 
steady  himself  on  his  feet  and  was  leaning  on  Prat  to  keep 
his  balance.  At  the  same  time  he  was  trying  to  sing  a 
stanza  from  the  Cid. 

"Hail  to  the  glorious  Carmen,  the  light  of  Peru!"  he 
yelled  upon  espying  me. 

I  told  Prat  immediately  what  had  happened.  At  first 
he  did  not  understand,  but  when  I  repeated  that  Estevan 
had  sold  our  horses  and  run  away,  great  was  his  rage.  He 
drew  out  his  knife  and  shrieked  what  he  would  do  to  the 
cholo  when  he  caught  him.  The  news  sobered  him  up 
considerably,  so  much  so  that  when  Giiell  burst  out  again 
in  another  stanza,  he  told  him  to  shut  up  and  cease  his 
idiotic  prattle  in  case  he  himself  did  not  care  to  feel  the 
knife  between  his  ribs  instead  of  between  Estevan 's.  We 
went  again  to  the  blacksmith  shop  where  Prat  started 
upbraiding  the  blacksmith,  and  then  went  to  the  alcalde's 
residence.  That  official  was  asleep  but  Prat  insisted  on 
having  him  wakened.  Presently  he  appeared  attired  in 
his  pajamas.  He  wanted  to  know  the  meaning  of  this 
disturbance  and  was  on  the  point  of  telling  us  to  go  to  the 
infernal  regions  when  he  suddenly  realized  that  we  were 
foreigners  of  distinction,  due  to  the  stiff  collars  and  quality 
of  our  wearing  apparel.     His  demeanor  changed  and  he 


426 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


invited  us  inside,  saying  that  he  would  dress  and  talk  with 
us  directly.  He  ushered  us  into  a  well  furnished  apart- 
ment and  left  us.  We  heard  him  ordering  breakfast, 
yelling  to  a  servant  to  prepare  three  places  as  he  had  as 
guests  two  "milords  ingleses.  " 

During  the  meal,  which  was  spread  on  a  table  beneath 
a  vine  trellis  in  the  patio,  the  alcalde,  Don  Jose  Vergara, 
asked  us  the  nature  of  our  visit,  to  which  narrative  he  did 
not  reply,  stating  that  he  would  take  the  matter  up  with  us 


Alameda,  Moquegua 


again  after  breakfast.  In  the  meantime  he  plied  us  with 
many  questions  about  North  America,  most  of  which  Prat 
answered — wrong.  The  latter  had  never  been  there  nor 
could  he  speak  English  well,  the  extent  of  his  vocabulary 
being  "bulldog."  "dollars,"  "all  right,"  "good-night,  "  etc. 
He  now  converses  fluently  in  English.  His  ignorance  of 
that  language  was  not  known  to  the  mayor,  who  himself 
spoke  an  execrable  patois  although  he  was  a  pure-blooded 
white  man.  When  we  said  that  we  wanted  to  start  as  soon 
as  possible  for  Moquegua,  the  alcalde  implored  us  to  re- 
main a  few  days  in  Ilabaya  as  his  guests.  When  we  told 
him  it  was  imperative  for  us  to  continue,  he  promised  us 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    427 

horses  and  a  man  from  his  stable  who  would  accompany  us. 
He  also  said  that  he  would  apprehend  Estevan  and  see 
that  he  would  be  sent  to  ]:)rison  if  he  had  not  already 
escaped  to  Chile. 

"What  will  he  get?"  I  inquired. 

"At  least  twenty  years,  "  he  answered.  "I  shall  see  to 
it." 

"Is  not  that  pretty  severe?" 

"vSevere,  nothing.  One  of  my  friends  has  an  estancia 
where  labor  is  badly  needed.  You  see  that  he  will  be  put 
to  work  profitably. " 

Don  Jose  ordered  the  blacksmith  summoned  to  his 
presence,  and  when  that  individual  presently  was  brought 
before  him,  the  alcalde,  threatening  him  with  all  sorts  of 
physical  evils,  elucidated  from  him  that  the  previous  night 
Estevan  had  called  for  the  horses  which  were  corralled 
behind  the  sho])  stating  that  the  ' '  senores  ingleses ' '  were 
about  to  continue  to  Moquegua,  saying  they  preferred  to 
travel  at  night  instead  of  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  Not 
long  afterwards  his  boy  had  seen  a  mountaineer  driving 
them  laden  with  goods  up  a  road  that  leads  into  the  Andes. 
The  boy  asked  him  what  he  was  doing  with  the  horses  since 
they  belonged  to  the  "sefiores  ingleses,"  whereupon  the 
mountaineer  answered  that  he  had  bought  them  from  the 
mozo  Estevan  for  fifteen  soles  each.  The  mountaineer  the 
blacksmith  added  was  well  known  to  him,  was  an  honest 
man,  and  frequently  came  to  Ilabaya.  The  next  time  he 
came  he  would  inform  Don  Jose  of  his  presence  so  that  the 
latter  could  deal  with  him.  I  have  always  believed  that 
the  blacksmith  had  a  hand  in  this  deal  and  that  he  was  hid- 
ing Estevan  who  had  mysteriously  disappeared  after  the 
transaction.  At  Moquegua  I  wrote  Don  Santiago  Car- 
mona  telling  him  what  happened.  Six  months  later  I 
received  a  reply  when  at  home  in  the  United  States  saying 


428 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


that  he  had  never  heard  a  word  about  Estevan  and  the 
horses,  although  he  had  heard  rumors  that  the  alcalde  of 
Ilabaya  was  riding  one  of  them.  Since  Ilabaya  was  in 
Peru  it  was  useless  to  go  there  for  he  would  receive  no 
justice. 

Although  Don  Jose  Vergara  said  that  he  would  loan  us 
the  horses,  when  w^e  were  about  to  dej^art  he  came  to  me 
and  said  that  it  would  cost  us  twenty-five  soles  ($12.50)  for 
their  rent.     This  was  reasonable  enough  according  to  the 


Street  in  Moquegua 


standards  of  civilization  but  was  exorbitant  for  that  local- 
ity. It  was  after  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  we 
got  away.  For  about  ten  miles  the  trail  led  over  a  rocky 
plateau  and  then  came  to  the  edge  of  a  ])recipice  at  the 
bottom  of  which  was  the  bed  of  the  Cinto  River,  here  dry. 
Here  were  three  mud  huts  and  a  cistern  half  full  of  water, 
which  was  drawn  from  some  springs  a  few  miles  u]j  the 
valley.  We  remained  here  about  an  hour  during  which  we 
cooked  some  meat  and  i)otatoes  that  we  had  brought  with 
us ;  we  pushed  on  again  across  another  plateau  similar  to 
the  one  which  we  had  just  traversed  excepting  that  it  was 
sandier  and  smoother  riding.     At  nightfall  we  came  out  on 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    429 

a  nose  of  a  hill  and  saw  below  us  in  the  distance  the  lights 
of  a  city  which  we  knew  was  Moquegua.  An  hour  later 
we  clattered  over  the  flinty  pavement  of  the  narrow  streets 
and  pulled  up  at  the  portals  of  the  Hotel  Lima,  one  of  the 
best  in  rural  Peru.     A  large  well-ventilated  room,  electric 


Street  in  Moquegua 


lights,  and  the  noise  of  locomotive  whistles  made  us  feel 
that  we  had  again  reached  civilization. 

Moquegua  is  a  fine  old  town  on  a  river  of  the  same  name 
and  capital  of  the  province  of  Moquegua,  lying  at  an  alti- 
tude of  over  four  thousand  feet  above  sea  level  in  the 
center  of  a  rich  agricultural  district,  abounding  in  olives. 
These  and  raisins  are  the  chief  exports  of  the  district. 

The  city  has  a  population  of  nine  thousand  and 
much  resembles  Tacna  on  account  of  the  substantial 
buildings;  it  is  not  as  lively  as  Tacna,  due  to  the  former 


430  Journeys  and  Experiences 

place  having  stationed  there  five  regiments,  but  otherwise 
it  is  a  pleasanter  town.  It  is  higher,  cooler,  and  there  is 
more  verdure.  The  valley  itself  is  a  long,  broad  ribbon  of 
cultivation,  mostly  devoted  to  the  growing  of  grapes. 
Moquegua  is  connected  to  its  port,  Ilo,  by  a  railroad  sixty- 
five  miles  long. 

Before  the  Pacific  War,  Moquegua  was  a  wealthy  town 
and  larger  than  at  the  present  time;  since  then  many  of  the 
inhabitants  emigrated,  many  going  to  Arequipa  and  to 
Lima.  The  alameda,  though  much  neglected,  shows 
signs  of  former  grandeur,  which  is  testified  by  the  broken 
statues  and  cracked  stone  benches  which  formerly  were 
the  pride  of  the  city.  Moquegua  has  the  name  of  being  a 
ver}'  religious  place;  it  has  many  churches  and  its  streets 
swarm  with  priests,  in  this  respect  being  much  different 
from  the  Chilean  towns  that  I  had  just  visited. 

Ilo  is  a  small  port  of  about  two  thousand  inhabitants, 
very  poor  and  squalid  but  not  so  much  so  as  Mollendo. 
In  both  these  places  bubonic  plague  is  rife,  but  strange  to 
say  that  malady  has  never  mounted  as  high  as  Arequipa 
or  Moquegua.  At  Ilo  I  boarded  a  small  postal  steamer 
of  the  Peruvian  Line  and  after  a  few  hours'  steam  we 
anchored  off  the  cliffs  of  Mollendo,  the  most  dangerous 
landing  place  on  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  swell  is  so  great 
here  that  sometimes  passengers  have  to  wait  two  weeks 
before  it  has  subsided  enough  to  permit  them  to  embark 
on  the  steamers.  I  had  to  transfer  to  another  ship  here 
because  the  one  I  was  on  touched  at  all  the  small  ports  and 
took  a  week  to  reach  Callao. 

Mollendo  is  one  of  the  dirtiest  towns  that  I  have  ever 
visited  and  I  have  visited  some  "hot"  ones.  It  is  a 
bubonic  stricken  place  of  about  five  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, according  to  the  census  reports,  although  I  doubt 
if  its  population  is  in  excess  of  three  thousand.     A  steep 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    43' 

incline  up  a  cliff  leads  from  the  dock  past  the  custom 
house  to  the  stinking  Hotel  Ferrocarril,  the  only  hostelry 
in  the  town.  This  ramshackle  old  building,  painted 
dark  green,  is  situated  on  an  eminence  at  the  extreme 
southwest  corner  of  the  town,  at  a  street  corner.  A 
veranda  runs  around  the  street  sides  of  it,  onto  which 
the  rooms  open.  Beggars,  hobos,  cripples,  bums,  and 
dogs  bask  on  the  sun-warped  boards  of  its  floor,  and 
sneak-thieves  are  ever  watching  for  an  opportunity  of 
entering  the  dirty  holes  which  are  the  guests'  rooms.  The 
dining  room  and  the  barroom  are  the  only  adjuncts  of  the 
institution  which  are  kept  clean,  and  the  latter  is  the  most 
lucrative  enterprise  to  its  owners  of  any  business  establish- 
ment in  the  town.  It  has  several  billiard  tables  of  doubt- 
ful cues  and  cushions  and  to  them  at  the  noon  hour  repair 
all  the  German  clerks  of  the  mercantile  establishments. 
There  is  much  liquor  sold  and  much  drunkenness  to  be 
observed.  At  one  corner  of  the  room  sat  a  well-dressed 
aged  man.  He  had  the  palsy  so  badly  that  he  could  not 
lift  a  glass  to  his  mouth  so  he  sat  there  imbibing  whiskey 
and  soda  through  a  rubber  tube  that  extended  from  his 
mouth  to  the  glass.  The  Hotel  Ferrocarril  is  owned  by 
a  couple  of  Italians  who  are  fast  waxing  wealthy.  It  is 
hell  to  stay  in  Mollendo  even  for  an  hour  and  the  travelers 
are  to  be  pitied  who  stop  here  days  at  a  time  waiting  for 
their  steamers  which  run  on  uncertain  schedules. 

The  place  owes  its  importance  to  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
port  of  the  large  and  prosperous  city  of  Arequipa  about 
seventy-five  miles  inland,  and  that  it  is  the  outlet  and  port 
of  entry  of  the  Lake  Titicaca  basin,  and  of  the  historic 
and  interesting  old  city  of  Cuzco,  the  pristine  capital  of 
the  Inca  Empire,  three  days  distant  by  rail.  Formerly 
Mollendo  was  the  seaport  of  La  Paz,  Bolivia's  quaint  me- 
tropolis, but  now  traffic  has  been  changed  from  that  city. 


43-  Journeys  and  Experiences 

so  that  Arica  and  Antofagasta  get  the  bulk  of  its  trade. 
There  has  been  much  talk  of  transferring  the  port  of  Are- 
quipa  to  Islay,  a  settlement  a  few  miles  north  of  Mollendo 
in  a  sheltered  location,  but  the  merchants  at  Mollendo 
made  a  strong  kick  about  it,  and  bribed  the  politicians  at 
Lima,  so  that  the  scheme  never  matured.  At  Mollendo, 
my  Peruvian  money  ran  out  because  I  did  not  get  enough 
Chilean  money  changed  at  Arica,  and  I  had  a  hard  job 
getting  change  here.  Some  Italian  bankers  to  whom  I 
applied  knew  how  badly  I  wanted  Peruvian  currency,  so 
accordingly  discounted  my  Chilean  money  so  much  that  I 
must  have  lost  twenty-five  dollars  by  the  transaction. 

As  I  said  before,  Mollendo  is  a  hotbed  for  bubonic 
plague.  Several  people  die  daily  of  it  here,  but  its  men- 
tion is  suppressed  by  the  health  authorities  so  as  not  to 
give  a  black  eye  to  the  town.  When  a  person  dies  of  it,  it 
is  kept  quiet  and  the  victim  is  buried  at  night.  Northeast 
of  the  town  is  the  potter's  field.  Here  graves  eighteen 
inches  deep  are  dug.  The  cadaver  is  trussed  up  by  having 
its  feet  drawn  back  to  its  haunches  by  means  of  a  cord  tied 
around  the  shoulders  and  is  thrown  into  the  impromptu 
grave.  I  was  told  by  several  people  that  so  poorly  is  the 
job  done  that  sometimes  the  toes  protrude  above  the  ground 
and  are  nibbled  at  by  buzzards  and  by  starving  dogs. 

From  Mollendo,  I  went  to  Callao  on  the  Chilean  steam- 
ship Limari.  It  was  a  good  ship  but  rolled  considerably 
even  in  a  calm  sea.  It  took  three  days  to  make  Lima's 
busy  port,  no  stops  being  made,  but  from  the  deck  I  could 
see  the  dim  outlines  of  the  towns  Lobos,  Chala,  and  Pisco. 
An  acquaintance  of  mine,  Mr.  Kurt  Waldemar  Linn,  of 
New  York,  a  German  by  birth  but  a  naturalized  Ameri- 
can citizen,  who  is  connected  with  the  International  Film 
Company,  told  me  in  Santiago  that  he  expected  to  be  on 
this  boat  and  arrive  in  Lima  at  the  same  time  I  would. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   433 

I  failed  to  find  his  name  on  the  passenger  list  and  when  I 
arrived  in  Lima,  he  had  not  yet  shown  up.  The  next  day 
he  appeared,  having  disembarked  from  the  Pacific  Steam 
Navigation  Company's  steamship  Mexico.  He  said  he 
was  sorry  that  he  had  not  made  the  trip  on  the  Limari, 
and  that  never  again  would  he  make  a  trip  on  any  ship  of 
the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Company  if  he  could  help  it. 
He  said  that  the  service  and  food  on  the  Mexico  were  vile 
but  to  crown  his  discomfiture  one  morning  at  breakfast 
the  first  officer  who  sat  next  to  him  asked  him  how  he 
slept  the  previous  night. 

' '  I  didn '  t  sleep  very  well , ' '  answered  Mr.  Linn.  ' '  There 
was  too  much  noise  going  on. " 

"Oh,  yes,  there  was  a  good  bit  of  noise  on  board.  We 
caught  a  German  spy  last  night  and  that  caused  the 
racket. "  At  this  witty  remark  the  officer  looked  at  Linn 
and  winked.  The  latter  did  not  relish  this  sort  of  pleas- 
antry even  though  it  was  meant  in  fun. 

At  Callao  the  custom  house  officials  are  careful  to  ran- 
sack all  one's  belongings  looking  for  things  dutiable  and 
those  non-dutiable  as  well ;  on  the  latter  they  levy  private 
duties  for  their  own  pockets.  There  is  much  red  tape  and 
tipping  to  be  done  and  nowhere  else  in  my  travels  have  I 
been  subjected  to  so  much  annoyance  at  a  custom  house 
unless  it  was  at  Belgrade,  Servia.  Hotel  couriers  meet 
the  steamers  and  it  is  advisable  for  the  traveler  to  give  his 
possessions  in  charge  of  one  of  these  men  who  will  relieve 
him  of  the  trouble  connected  with  the  custom  house  and 
transferal  of  baggage  to  Lima.  The  courier  expects  a 
large  tip,  but  it  is  more  convenient  to  give  it  in  one  lump 
sum  to  him  than  to  have  to  run  the  gauntlet. 


28 


CHAPTER  XIV 


LIMA 


Although  the  chapters  of  this  book  are  supposed  to 
treat  only  of  the  southern  repubh'cs  of  South  America,  it 
would  nevertheless  be  a  shame  not  to  mention  Lima  and 
the  Peruvian  hinterland,  therefore  this  and  the  following 
chapter. 

Callao,  the  port  of  Lima,  where  the  ships  anchor, 
has  a  population  of  forty-five  thousand.  It  is  here  that 
one  first  gets  an  idea  of  genuine  Peruvian  architec- 
ture. The  two  and  three  storied  houses,  many  of  which  are 
adorned  by  steeples  and  towers,  invariably  have  enclosed 
wooden  balconies  projecting  from  the  second  floor  over  the 
street,  giving  the  touch  of  old  Stamboul  or  other  oriental 
cities.  It  is  difficult  to  conjecture  the  origin  of  these  balco- 
nies. The  Moorish  style  of  architecture  which  the  Spani- 
ards copied  and  brought  to  their  colonies  was  plain,  with 
bare  outside  walls  and  few  windows.  This  Turkish  style 
seen  by  many  tourists  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  at 
Callao  is  that  which  predominates  in  Central  Peru  and  is 
alvSO  prevalent  to  a  certain  extent  as  far  south  as  Tacna. 

In  Callao  there  is  but  little  to  interest  the  stranger. 
As  in  most  seaports,  tough  characters  abound,  and  there 
is  a  bevy  of  saloons;  but  unlike  most  seaports,  Callao  is 
comparatively  clean,  especially  the  show  places.  It  has 
a  large  church,  a  few  pleasant  plazas,  and  some  marble 

4.H 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  Chile  435 

statues.  In  reputation  it  is  one  of  the  toughest  towns  in 
the  world;  it  formerly  was  the  jumping-off  place  for  crim- 
inals and  the  tales  of  shanghaiing  and  murders  that  took 
place  here  not  so  many  years  back  would  fill  volumes. 

The    harbor  is  landlocked   by  the    mainland,  a  sandy 
point,  and  the  mountainous  island  of  San  Lorenzo.     The 


nm 


WU^im^m 


Callao  Harbor 


port  works  of  stone  are  the  best  on  the  whole  Pacific 
Coast  but  at  the  present  time  no  ships  anchor  at  them. 
This  is  due  to  the  prevalence  of  bubonic  plague  (occasion- 
ally a  few  sporadic  cases)  which  can  be  transmitted  to  the 
passengers  and  crews  through  the  medium  of  rats.  A 
reason  more  vital  to  the  municipality  for  not  allowing  the 
ships  to  anchor  at  the  docks  is  that  of  providing  employ- 
ment for  the  fletcros,  or  boatmen,  who  earn  a  few  soles  by 
rowing  people  and  baggage  to  and  from  the  ships.  In  the 
harbor  are  two  Peruvian  men-of-war.     They  have  lain 


436  Journeys  and  Experiences 

there  several  years.  Their  boilers  are  defective  and  their 
machinery  needs  repairing,  but  nothing  is  ever  done  to 
make  them  seaworthy.  I  saw  the  admiral  in  a  street  car. 
He  is  a  big.  fat  fellow  with  about  a  fifty-three  inch  waist 
line,  and  resplendent  with  gold  braid.  From  the  servile 
humility  of  the  conductor  and  the  passengers  towards  him, 
one  might  judge  that  he  ranked  with  von  Tirpitz  and  I 
have  no  doubt  but  that  he  entertained  the  same  opinion 
of  himself. 

Lima  is  about  five  miles  distant  inland  from  Callao,  to 
which  city  it  is  connected  by  a  trolley  and  two  railway 
lines.  The  former,  double-tracked,  runs  in  a  straight  line 
through  a  decidedly  Athenian  landscape.  On  all  sides  are 
green  fields,  olive  groves,  black  hills,  and  whitish  soil. 
The  air,  odor,  and  decisive  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  is 
Attic ;  the  style  of  the  country  houses,  nature  of  the  crops, 
and  appearance  of  the  live  stock  is  analogous  to  that 
of  Attica.  On  the  south  side  of  the  main  road  are  two 
large  country  seats  that  would  grace  any  rural  scene ;  they 
are  the  residences  of  the  Italian  families  Castagnone 
and  Nosiglia,  and  are  set  back  at  some  distance  from  the 
turnpike. 

The  population  of  Lima,  Callao,  and  many  of  the  sea- 
board Peruvian  towns  is  composed  of  Aryans,  Indians, 
Hamitics,  and  Mongolians,  with  a  conglomerate  mixture 
of  all  four  races.  In  Lima,  people  with  mixed  white  and 
Indian  blood  predominate ;  those  of  mixed  white  and  negro 
blood  are  a  close  second.  The  aristocracy  and  better-to- 
do  classes  are  white  and  are  descended  from  the  Spaniards. 
They  do  not  marry  outside  of  their  own  race  and  con- 
stitute the  ruling  clement.  There  is  a  large  Italian  colony, 
many  of  whose  male  members  are  leading  merchants  and 
professional  men.  Far  outnumbering  the  whites  are  the 
various    hues    of    mixed    breeds,    Indians,    negroes,    and 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   437 

Chinese,  which  form  the  rabble.  The  cholo  is  a  scion  of  an 
Indian  and  a  white  person,  while  a  chino-cholo  is  the  off- 
spring of  a  Chinaman  and  an  Indian.  To  get  a  good  idea 
of  Peruvian  mixture  as  applied  to  the  lower  walks  of  so- 
ciety (which  constitute  all  the  classes  not  belonging  to  the 
white  race,  and  which  greatly  predominate),  one  can  take 
the  following  genealogical  tree  as  an  example.  A  white 
man  marries  a  squaw  which  we  can  designate  as  union  A. 
A  Chinaman  marries  a  negress;  we  can  call  this  union  B. 
The  progeny  of  union  A  marries  the  progeny  of  union  B, 
which  is  union  C.  The  result  is  a  child  which  has  blood 
one  fourth  white,  one  fourth  black,  one  fourth  Indian, 
and  one  fourth  Chinese.  Although  mixtures  like  this  are 
uncommon,  they  nevertheless  exist,  but  it  is  of  great 
commonness  for  a  person  to  have  the  blood  of  three  of  these 
races. 

These  mixtures  diminish  the  intellect  and  decrease  the 
vitality  of  the  offspring,  who  are  invariably  inferior  to  the 
pure  bloods,  even  if  the  pure  blood  is  Indian  or  negro. 
The  children  of  these  marriages  inherit  few  of  the  good 
qualities  of  their  parents,  but  all  of  their  vices.  The 
cholos,  proud  of  their  white  blood,  tyrannize  over  the  poor 
Indians  and  subject  them  to  indignities  and  cruelties  such 
as  were  never  practiced  in  slavery  times  by  their  Spanish 
masters.  These  same  cholos  cringe  like  curs  before  the 
white  man.  Their  natural  disposition  is  good,  excepting 
that  they  have  the  trait  of  dreadfully  abusing  and  misusing 
the  poor  Indians.  The  Chinese,  of  which  there  are  thirty 
thousand  in  the  provinces  of  Callao  and  Lima,  have  not 
intermarried  with  the  other  races  so  much  as  the  other 
three  mentioned  ones.  They  are  lawabiding  and  quiet, 
but  the  mixed  offspring  from  them  is  deficient  in  good 
qualities.  The  worst  of  all  races  in  Peru  is  the  offspring  of 
the  negro  and  the  cholo.     The  result  is  a  progeny  that  is 


4, 


;8 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


downright  bad.  It  is  these  that  constitute  the  riotous 
mobs  that  murder  and  hurl  missiles  every  time  there  is  an 
abortive  or  a  genuine  revolution.  They  do  not  know 
what  the  row  is  about,  yet  they  want  to  participate  in  it 
for  the  main  love  of  wickedness.     I  saw  a  crowd  of  this 


Puente  Vieja,  Lima,  as  Seen  from  the  Bed  of  the  Rimac 


degenerate  gentry, evidently  "egged  on"  by  some  political 
opponent,  hurl  legumes  and  bricks  at  the  brother  of  ex- 
President  Leguia  when  he  was  leaving  the  Doric-columned 
vSenate  Building  One  of  these  bricks  severely  injured  a 
stranger,  and  I,  an  unconscious  spectator,  had  a  white  duck 
suit  discolored  by  unsavory  hen  fruit.  The  Limeno  boot- 
blacks are  recruited  from  this  class,  and  as  a  rule  when 
they  are  not  shining  shoes  or  up  to  some  deviltry,  they 
stand  around  the  booths  singing  in  an  undertone  obscene 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    439 

stanzas  of  their  own  composition  to  attentive  dregs  of 
humanity.  The  "buck-niggers"  and  their  families,  of 
untarnished  ebony  hue,  originally  migrated  into  Peru 
from  Jamaica.  They  do  not  make  bad  citizens,  but  their 
population  is  fast  diminishing,  their  numbers  becoming 
assimilated  with  the  other  races. 

There  is  considerable  material  for  argument  relative  to 
the  origin  of  the  name  of  the  Peruvian  metropolis,  which 
nobody  seems  to  have  taken  the  pains  to  unravel.  Lima 
was  founded  January  i8,  1535,  by  Don  Francisco  Pizarro. 
It  was  granted  its  charter  and  received  its  seal  by  a  royal 
decree  of  Charles  V.  of  Spain,  December  7,  1537,  under 
the  name  of  the  Most  Noble  and  Very  Loyal  City  of  Kings. 
The  name  Lima,  which  the  stranger  is  erroneously  told  is  a 
corruption  of  the  word  Rimac  (the  name  of  the  river  which 
divides  the  modern  city) ,  was  said  to  be  the  name  of  the 
Indian  village  which  had  its  center  where  the  capitol  build- 
ing now  stands;  owing  to  the  shortness  of  its  name,  it  super- 
ceded the  longer  title  given  to  it  by  the  Spanish  king. 
Many  of  the  Spanish  conquistadores  named  cities  which 
they  founded  in  the  new  world  after  cities  in  Spain  from 
which  they  hailed.  Thus  Trujillo  in  Peru  is  named  after 
Trujillo  in  Spain,  Pizarro's  birthplace.  There  is  a  town 
named  Valladolid  in  Yucatan,  a  city  named  Cartagena  in 
Colombia,  a  Cordoba  in  Argentina,  and  a  Linares  in 
Chile.  All  of  these  places  were  named  after  places  of  the 
same  name  in  the  Iberian  Peninsula.  Likewise  there  is  a 
Lima  in  Spain.  It  may  be  that  the  capital  of  Peru  was 
named  after  it,  and  that  the  name  of  the  Indian  village  is 
legend.  To  substantiate  this  theory,  there  is  a  city  in  cen- 
tral Brazil  named  Lima  which  is  an  old  town.  This 
Brazilian  city  would  undoubtedly  owe  the  origin  of  its 
name  to  the  same  source  as  would  Lima,  Peru.  There  is  a 
theory  however  which  would  knock  this  out  and  that  is  one 


440 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


of  my  own.  Lima,  Spain,  only  appears  on  the  modern 
maps  of  that  country.  It  is  a  small  town  in  Leon.  I  have 
examined  many  maps  and  ancient  geographies  of  Spain 


Calle  Huallaga,  Lima 

and  do  not  find  it  there,  yet  it  is  inconceivable  that  Lima, 
Spain,  would  be  named  after  Lima,  Peru. 

The  variety  of  large  bean  which  at  home  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  call  the  Lima  bean  is  not  a  native  of  this  place. 
Their  origin  is  a  town  named  lea,  which  is  about  a  hundred 


i 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    441 

miles  southeast  of  Lima,  and  in  Peru  it  is  called  the  lea 
bean. 

Lima  is  divided  into  two  uneven  parts  by  the  Rimac 
River,  which  is  spanned  by  two  traffic  bridges,  the  Puente 
Vieja,  commonly  known  as  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  the 
Puente  Balta,  by  a  railroad  bridge,  and  by  a  temporary 
footbridge.  The  Rimac  is  a  swiftly  flowing,  transparent 
stream,  which  jumps  over  cascades  and  has  a  considerable 
volume  of  water  for  a  mountain  stream.     Its  bed  is  not 


Plaza  Italia,  Lima.     Vendors  of  Bread 


well  defined  as  it  contains  many  small  islands  and  gravel 
bars.  At  the  stone  bridge  it  is  kept  within  bounds.  The 
river  furnishes  irrigation  for  the  whole  valley  in  which  the 
capital  is  situated  and  could  even  be  made  to  furnish  more 
since  much  of  its  volume  of  water  goes  to  waste.  This  is  a 
crime  on  account  of  its  scarcity. 

Lima  should  not  be  passed  without  a  wreck's  sojourn  by 
any  visitor  to  the  west  coast  of  South  America,  whether 
he  is  a  professor,  antiquarian,  commercial  traveler,  or 
ordinary  tourist.  No  other  city  in  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere retains  in  so  marked  a  degree  its  medievalism.,  yet 
no  other  city  on  the  west  coast  of  South  America  is  so 


44^  Journeys  and  Experiences 

advanced  in  modernity.  Luxury  rubs  shoulders  with 
poverty;  there  are  numerous  palaces  and  also  countless 
hovels.  The  great  churches,  all  Roman  Catholic,  beai 
testimony  by  their  superb  interiors  to  the  lavishness  of 
devotion.  In  the  shoj)  windows  are  displayed  the  silver 
ornaments  and  utensils  of  Cuzco  and  Cajamarca;  next 


Plazuela  de  la  Inquisicion,  Lima 

door  to  them  are  presented  the  baubles  and  gewgaws  of 
New  York  and  Paris. 

The  population  is  estimated  at  two  hundred  thousand 
which  is  i)robably  nearly  correct.  The  city  is  very  com- 
pactly built  and  centered  so  that  its  streets  teem  with 
more  life  than  an  ordinary  city  of  the  same  number  of 
inhabitants.  Although  its  population  is  but  half  that  of 
Santiago,  this  centralization  makes  it  appear  to  be  a  larger 
place.  The  buildings,  two,  three,  and  four  stories  in 
height,  are  massive,  although  many  are  built  of  adobe, 
plastered  and  painted  over,  and  give  the  city  a  metropoli- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    443 

tan  appearance.  In  Santiago  many  of  the  merchants  and 
well-to-do  inhabitants  live  in  the  suburbs;  in  Lima  they 
reside  near  the  center  of  the  city.  During  the  past  few 
years,  the  Peruvian  capital  has  made  great  strides  in  civic 
improvement.  The  main  streets  are  now  paved  with 
stone;  they  were  formerly  paved  with  shaq)  pebbles. 
They  arc  kept  clean,  which  is  a  great  contrast  to  the  dusty 
offal  which  formerly  littered  them  and  which  in  powdered 
form  assailed  the  eyes  and  nostrils  of  the  pedestrians  every 
time  a  gust  of  wind  arose.  The  equipages  for  the  trans- 
portation of  passengers  are  superior  to  those  of  vSantiagr) 
and  the  street  car  service,  although  not  frequent  enough, 
is  better  than  that  of  the  Chilean  capital.  There  has  also 
been  much  recent  building  going  on,  the  new  edifices  being 
of  modern  European  design. 

Standing  in  the  Hotel  Maury  one  day  I  was  introduced 
to  a  prominent  Lima  business  man  named  Arthur  Field, 
who  was  born  there.  He  kindly  offered  to  show  me  the 
city  in  his  automobile.  I  told  him  that  I  was  alread}^ 
acquainted  with  Lima,  having  made  previous  visits  there. 

"I  am  so  glad,"  said  he;  "most  tourists  go  away  with 
such  a  poor  impression  of  Lima,  and  some  go  away  after  a 
short  sojourn  and  write  most  uncomplimentary  things 
about  it,  which  hurts  it.  Ambassador  Bryce  spoke  very 
illy  of  Lima,  and  he  was  only  here  for  a  few  days.  There 
is  to  my  knowledge  only  one  book  written  recently  which 
gives  a  true  description  of  the  city.  It  was  written  by  a 
namesake  of  yours,  a  man  named  Stephens.  My  wife 
and  my  friends  have  read  it,  and  they  all  pronounce  it  as 
true. " 

I  did  not  tell  him  that  I  wrote  the  book,  but  another 
man  in  the  group,  an  American,  spotted  me  for  its  author 
from  the  frontispiece  in  it,  which  has  my  likeness.  This 
last-mentioned  man  went  home  that  noon,  and  verified  his 


444  Journeys  and  Experiences 

suspicions  by  again  looking  at  the  frontispiece.  That 
afternoon  he  procured  his  copy  of  the  book  and  started  to 
the  Hotel  Maury  to  congratulate  me.  On  the  way  he  got 
gloriously  drunk,  and  in  an  inebriated  condition  he  showed 
the  paragraph  where  I  mentioned  the  Hotel  Alaury  to  one 
of  its  proprietors.     Since  I  had  spoken  poorly  of  the  es- 


Boulevard  in  Lima 


tablishment  in  it  (it  had  improved  decidedly  since  I  was 
there  before)  I  thought  the  result  would  be  a  request  for  me 
to  change  quarters.  The  proprietor  could  speak  no  Eng- 
lish and  judging  that  the  talk  of  the  American  was  due  to 
an  excess  of  batida  bitters  and  John  dc  Kuyper  paid  no 
attention  to  the  subject. 

A  bad  feature  about  Lima  is  that  the  same  street  has  a 
different  name  for  each  block.  This  was  the  old  Spanish 
custom  and  it  makes  it  necessar}^  for  the  visitor  to  buy  a 
plan  ot  the  city  to  memorize  the  nomenclatures  of  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    445 

principal  blocks.  In  recent  years  the  municipality  has 
tried  to  remedy  this  custom  by  giving  a  street  one  single 
name,  but  the  old  appellations  still  cling  and  probably 
always  will.  The  Calle  Union,  Lima's  main  street,  is  not 
so  called  by  the  ordinary  native,  and  its  different  blocks 
are  known  as  Palacio,  Portal  de  Escribanos,  Mercaderes, 
Espaderos,  Merced,  Baquijano,  Boza,  San  Juan  de  Dios, 
Belen,  Juan  Simon,  and  so  forth.  Its  principal  sector, 
Calle  Huallaga,  is  known  respectively  as  Judios,  Mel- 
chormalo,  Virreina.  Concepcion,  Presa,  Lechugal,  and 
San  Andres. 

Calle  Union  presents  much  life.  It  begins  at  the  Plaza 
de  Armas  and  is  about  a  mile  long,  terminating  at  the 
Zoological  Gardens.  On  it  is  the  city  hall,  several  theaters, 
the  Merced  church,  the  Forero  palace,  and  the  penitenti- 
ary. It  is  the  main  retail  street  and  is  always  much 
crowded.  Huallaga  is  a  busy  street  with  antiquarian 
shops,  banks,  and  wholesale  offices.  On  it  is  the  Hotel 
Central,  the  Bank  of  Peru  and  London,  the  Concepcion 
market,  the  Concepcion  church,  and  the  police  head- 
quarters. 

The  Concepcion  market  is  the  largest  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  Its  ground  area,  covering  a  whole  block,  is  about  the 
same  size  as  the  Tacon  market  in  Havana,  but  it  is  higher. 
There  are  many  queer  vegetables,  herbs,  and  fruits  offered 
for  sale  which  are  unknown  in  Europe  or  in  North  America. 
The  potato,  whose  origin  is  Peru,  is  sold  in  this  market, 
not  in  the  raw  state  as  in  our  markets,  but  desiccated. 
The  natives  soak  them  in  water,  sun  dry  them,  and  put 
them  for  sale  in  this  fashion,  for  this  way  they  will  keep 
indefinitely.  In  the  meat  department  cats  crawl  over  the 
loins  and  spare  ribs  while  whippets  snap  at  fly-bedizened 
bones.  I  attempted  to  take  a  time  exposure  of  the  place 
but  a  gawky  overgrown  boy  walked  in  front  of  the  camera, 


44<^       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

spoiling  the  picture.  A  cuff  on  the  ears  from  me  which 
sent  him  spinning  against  a  basket  of  eggs  nearly  caused 
a  small  riot. 

The  Bank  of  Peru  and  London  is  the  largest  bank  build- 
ing in  vSouth  America.  It  is  a  three-story  white  structure 
built  in  a  classical  style  of  architecture.  There  are  several 
other  large  banks. 

The  Plaza  de  Armas  lacks  much  of  the  charm  of  the 
plazas  in  the  Chilean  cities.  It  is  planted  to  palmetto 
trees,  which  I  think  always  look  out  of  place  outside  of 
their  wild  native  state.  On  the  north  side  of  this  square  is 
the  one-story-high  capitol  building.  Somewhere  in  its 
patio  is  the  spot  where  Pizarro  was  murdered.  The  exact 
place  is  not  known  on  account  of  the  many  alterations  that 
have  taken  place  in  the  building.  His  skeleton  rests  in  a 
white  marble  sarcophagus  in  the  cathedral. 

This  cathedral,  whose  stately  and  magnificent  pile  was 
described  by  me  in  a  previous  book  on  South  America, 
ranks  as  one  of  the  largest  religious  edifices  in  the  world. 
Its  twin  towers,  one  at  each  side  of  a  broad  fagade,  rise 
majestically  into  the  heavens  and  are  visible  from  a  great 
distance.  Its  spacious  nave  and  aisles  are  crowned  by  a 
ribbed  roof,  whose  ceiling  is  painted  in  symmetrical  de- 
signs in  pink  and  azure.  Many  mendicants  loiter  about 
the  interior,  and  when  the  sexton  shows  you  Pizarro's 
skeleton,  they  all  solicit  alms  for  such  trivialities  as  holding 
the  candle  to  view  the  remains,  opening  the  door  of  the 
chapel,  and  so  forth.  In  the  chapel  where  his  remains 
repose  is  an  altar  of  pure  silver  brought  from  Cuzco. 

Lima,  always  the  capital  of  the  Spanish  dominion  in  the 
New  World,  and  the  vscat  of  the  Inquisition  in  South 
America,  was  and  is  still  a  pillar  of  Catholicism.  The 
plaza  where  the  Senate  building  is  located  is  named  the 
Plazuela    de    la    Inquisicion;    in    its    neighborhood    were 


Faf  ade  ot  San  Augustin  Church,  Lima 


447 


44^       Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

perpetrated  the  barbarous  tortures  on  heretics,  written 
about  in  \'icuna  Mackcnna's  books.  Joints  were  stretched 
by  screws;  ear  holes  were  filled  with  molten  metal;  writh- 
ing bodies  to  whose  feet  was  tied  an  iron  hundredweight 
were  hoisted  by  outstretched  arms  to  the  ceiling  by  means 
of  pullej^s,  the  weight  causing  the  body  to  tear  in  two  at  the 
abdomen.  The  last  of  these  barbarities  took  place  in 
1820.  In  Peru  no  other  religion  but  the  Roman  Catholic 
is  recognized,  although  others  are  tolerated.  Watching  a 
religious  procession  one  day  as  it  passed  through  the 
streets  of  the  city,  a  thirty-second-degree  Mason  turned  to 
me  and  said : 

"A  JMason  has  no  more  show  in  this  town  than  a  fly  on 
fly-paper." 

There  are  forty-eight  large  churches  in  Lima  and 
twenty-two  chapels.  The  latter  are  large  enough  to  be 
fair-sized  churches  in  the  United  States.  The  most  aristo- 
cratic church  is  that  of  La  Merced  adjoining  the  convent 
of  the  same  name  on  the  Calle  Union.  It  has  an  opulent 
interior.  The  nave  is  high  and  airy,  and  the  air  is  laden 
with  frankincense.  It  is  my  favorite  of  all  the  Lima 
churches  and  I  often  repaired  thither  to  attend  mass  or 
for  pious  meditation.  San  Francisco  church  is  very  rich; 
its  architecture  is  Saracenic.  Another  fine  church  is  wSan 
Augustin.  It  has  a  marvelous  sculptured  facade.  Accord- 
ing to  the  original  plan,  it  was  to  have  two  towers  but  they 
have  never  been  added.  It  is  here  that  the  president  takes 
his  oath  of  office.  Other  fine  churches  worthy  of  visit  are 
San  Domingo,  San  Pedro,  and  Nazarenas,  although  many 
others  present  great  interest. 

Easter  week  in  Lima  is  an  unforgetable  event.  Peni- 
tents, carrying  holy  images,  processions,  and  throngs  of 
religious  devotees  fill  the  streets.  One  of  the  pageants 
which  has  a  touch  of  barbaric  mingled  with  Christianity  is 


Procession  of  the  Milagro,  Lima 
449 


450  Journeys  and  Experiences 

that  of  the  Milagro.  What  gives  it  a  touch  ot  the  barbaric 
is  the  majority  of  negroes  who  take  part  in  it.  The  trail 
of  the  Milagro  lies  through  the  squalid  streets  in  the  part 
of  the  city  north  of  the  Rimac.  All  the  people  officiating 
are  garbed  in  purple  tunics.  It  is  preceded  by  youths 
carr^dng  gaudy  lamps.  Then  follow  negro  women,  chant- 
ing dirges.  A  stranger  looking  at  it  for  the  first  time  is  apt 
to  believe  that  it  is  a  procession  exorcising  against  the 
plague  for  after  the  cantors  come  black  Mary  Magda- 
lene's carrying  lighted  hand  braziers  from  which  they  blow 
great  fumes  of  incense  smoke  on  the  onlookers,  nearly 
suffocating  many  by  the  intoxicating  fragrance.  There 
is  a  brass  band  of  purple-robed  devotees  playing  weird 
music  followed  b}*  an  image  of  the  Saviour  in  an  upright 
position  mounted  on  a  metal  platform.  This  image  is 
adorned  with  wreaths,  flowers,  and  ribbons ;  before  it  is  an 
altar  with  lighted  candles.  The  platform  is  very  heavy 
and  is  borne  by  sixteen  men,  four  on  each  side,  four  in 
front,  and  four  in  back,  who  support  its  weight  on  their 
padded  shoulders  on  which  rest  beams.  The  procession 
is  very  slow,  moving  at  a  snail's  pace,  and  as  it  proceeds, 
the  pageant  sways  with  a  peculiar  serpentine  rhythm.  On 
account  of  the  weight  of  the  image  and  its  accouterments, 
at  every  few  yards  the  procession  stops  and  the  carriers  are 
relayed.  Some  of  them  faint  under  the  strain.  The  expres- 
sion on  the  faces  of  the  carriers  is  that  of  most  reverend 
devotion;  the  light  of  sanctity  is  in  their  eyes,  and  they 
wtilk  as  if  in  a  trance.  This  carrying  of  the  image  is  a 
great  honor,  and  the  fortunate  ones  look  forward  to  it  for 
a  whole  year.  Following  the  image  walked  a  priest,  his 
well-fed  form  protected  from  the  sun  by  a  canopy  of  cloth 
of  gold  upheld  on  poles  by  six  pur])le-clad  boys.  His 
expression  was  far  from  being  that  of  sanctity.  Merciless 
and   unrelentless,    his   face   wore   a   heartless   and   cold- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   451 

blooded  mien  as  if  he  were  a  graven  image  of  stone.  Smug 
and  self-centered,  he  appeared  to  be  greatly  contented 
with  the  position  he  occupied,  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes. 
When  the  procession  passed  the  Calle  Trujillo,  the  main 
street  of  the  section  of  Lima  north  of  the  Rimac,  street 
car  and  pedestrian  traffic  was  stopped  for  half  an  hour. 
As  in  all  places,  there  was  a  crowd  of  procession  followers. 
As  the  pageant  merely  crawled  along,  many  youths  of  this 
class  regaled  themselves  with  libations  of  pisco  which  is 
offered  for  sale  every  few  doors  in  that  neighborhood. 
The  consequence  was  that  there  were  many  staggering 
steps  among  the  spectators. 

Lima  is  seen  to  its  greatest  advantage  from  the  middle  of 
the  stone  bridge  at  dusk  when  the  electric  lights  are  being 
turned  on  or  after  dark  on  a  moonlight  night  from  the  same 
spot.  The  view  is  far  superior  to  that  of  Florence  as 
seen  from  the  Arno  bridge.  In  the  daytime  the  masses  of 
chrome-colored  houses,  churches,  and  towers,  the  teeming 
street  life,  the  trains  arriving  at  and  leaving  Desamparados 
station  present  the  aspect  of  a  metropolis  both  medieval 
and  modern.  At  night  when  the  white  moon  rising  above 
vSan  Cristobal  hill  plays  on  the  ripples  of  the  Rimac,  and 
reflects  on  them  the  myriads  of  lights  from  the  windows, 
while  in  the  distance  the  trees  along  the  river  bank  cause 
an  inky  blackness,  is  seen  a  picture  beyond  the  scope  of 
the  greatest  artists. 

The  part  of  Lima  north  of  the  Rimac  is  much  the  small- 
est, but  it  is  the  most  thickly  settled.  It  is  the  dirtiest 
part  and  is  the  favorite  abode  of  negroes  and  Chinamen; 
here  street  dogs  of  all  descriptions  constantinopolize 
the  thoroughfares,  and  when  not  basking  on  their  bellies 
on  the  sidewalks,  they  devour  mule  manure  and  snap  at 
fleas.  This  is  the  section  of  the  city  where  the  bubonic 
plague  cases  sporadically  occur,  as  well  as  being  the  sec- 


452  Journeys  and  Experiences 

tion  most  poignant  in  crime.  It  has  a  handsome  parkway 
with  statues,  the  Alameda  de  los  Decalzos,  though  it  would 
be  better  located  if  it  were  south  of  the  river.  On  the 
north  side  are  the  two  breweries,  which  with  the  exception 
of  two  flour  mills  are  Lima's  sole  factories.  The  brew- 
eries are  Backus  &  Johnston  Company,  Ltd.,  and  Eduardo 
Harster's  Piedra  Liza  Brewery.  Above  the  suburb  of 
Piedra  Liza  rises  San  Cristobal  hill  (altitude  1300  feet) 
which  is  179  feet  higher  than  the  hill  of  the  same  name  at 
Santiago,  Chile.  Its  summit  is  crowned  by  a  wireless  sta- 
tion of  the  Telefunken. 

In  Lima  there  is  only  one  hotel  at  which  a  North  Ameri- 
can or  a  European  can  stop  in  comfort,  the  Maury. 
This  hotel,  owned  by  Angel  Bertolotto  and  leased  to  Vis- 
conti  &  Velasquez,  is  with  the  exception  of  some  of  the 
Buenos  Aires  hotels  the  best  in  South  America.  Many 
of  the  rooms  have  baths  and  are  sumptuously  furnished. 
The  prices  are  high.  This  Hotel  Maury  started  with  one 
building  on  the  corner  of  Bodegones  and  Villalta  but  when 
trade  increased,  it  was  necessary  to  acquire  the  adjoining 
buildings,  so  that  at  the  present  time  the  caravanserai 
extends  the  length  of  the  whole  block  as  far  as  the  cathe- 
dral. It  is  as  intricate  as  a  maze  to  find  one's  way  about 
the  upstairs  corridors.  The  ground  floor  is  occupied  with 
several  tile-paved  dining  rooms,  and  a  large  bar  where 
congregate  many  of  the  foreign  residents  to  enjoy  liba- 
tions. The  bartenders  are  good  mixologists,  but  devote 
too  much  of  their  time  selling  to  tourists  at  usurious  prices 
guide  books  and  views  of  Peru  that  they  obtained  for  a 
song.  When  they  are  not  doing  this  they  are  busily 
engaged  in  drying  orange  peels  that  they  fished  out  of 
somebody's  already  consumed  cocktail  in  order  to  have  it 
in  i)roper  condition  to  put  into  a  cocktail  ordered  by  the 
next  customer.     The  other  hotels  in  Lima,  impossible  for 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    453 

the  foreigner,  are  the  delight  of  the  native-born  population, 
as  the  Maury  is  too  expensive  for  their  pocketbooks. 
There  are  many  pastry  and  confectionery  stores  in  Lima, 
some  being  very  good  ones.  These  all  sell  ice  cream  and 
specialize  in  preparing  banquets.  Many  have  ice  manu- 
facturing establishments  in  connection  with  them.  The 
best  known  are  those  named  Arturo  Field,  Broggi,  Marron, 
and  Parisienne. 

The  finest  cafe  on  the  west  coast  of  America  is  the  one  in 
Lima  named  Palais  Concert  and  is  owned  by  the  Maury 
proprietors.  It  is  modern  European,  and  is  supposed  to 
have  a  Viennese  orchestra,  none  of  whom,  however,  hail 
from  Austria.  A  popular  restaurant  is  the  Estrasburgo. 
The  peculiarity  about  it  is  the  sacrilegious  mural  paint- 
ing in  it,  which  strange  to  say  is  tolerated  in  this  most 
fanatically  religious  country.  The  painting  is  an  advertise- 
ment of  a  French  brandy  firm.  The  hideous  corpse  of 
Lazarus,  with  pointed  chin  and  ears,  coming  to  life,  is  rising 
from  a  coffin,  and  with  a  sardonic  grin  on  his  face  he  is 
eagerly  stretching  out  his  hand  for  a  tumbler  of  brandy 
which  is  being  handed  hrm  by  a  bleached-out  Christ, 
garbed  in  red,  and  with  glistening  ringlets  of  peroxide 
colored  hair.  Christ  is  saying:  "Arise,  O  Lazarus,  and 
drink  this  brandy ! ' '  This  Estrasburgo  is  a  favorite  resort 
of  Jews  in  transit.  They  go  there  to  view  this  picture, 
and  when  they  see  that  no  Christian  is  present,  nudge  each 
other  and  say:  "This  is  fine."  The  Restaurant  Berlin  is 
a  well  furnished  place  on  the  Plateros  de  San  Pedro. 
This  is  all.  There  is  no  Berlin  about  it  excepting  the 
name,  although  I  understand  that  the  proprietor  is  a 
German.  The  uncouth  waiters,  some  with  repulsive  boils 
on  their  faces,  shuffle  across  the  unswept  floor,  which  is 
overrun  with  cockroaches,  and  slop  down,  vile  concoctions 
in  front  of  you,  spilling  the  sticky  liquid  on  the  fly-infested 


454  Journeys  and  Experiences 

table.  One  night  while  sitting  there  with  a  friend,  I  was 
given  a  curagao  flavored  with  turpentine,  while  he  drew  a 
cocktail  savored  with  the  cholo  waiter's  dirty  thumb. 

One  of  Lima's  institutions  is  drink.  Being  almost  a 
teetotaler,  I  can  give  no  more  information  than  what  I 
observed.  Saloons  exist  everywhere;  there  are  over  six 
thousand  of  them,  some  of  which  are  really  high  class. 
Also  there  are  clubs  where  liquid  refreshments  are  sold. 
There  are  no  days  when  the  saloons  are  compelled  to  close ; 
they  generally  close  their  doors  at  night  only  when  busi- 
ness becomes  slack.  Besides  the  two  breweries  in  Lima 
there  is  one  in  Callao,  and  although  there  is  much  beer  sold, 
the  predominance  of  mixed  drinks  is  so  much  greater  that 
the  former  is  put  into  the  background.  The  beer  is  vile 
and  I  was  advised  not  to  drink  any  of  it.  In  the  winter  of 
191 6  two  mozos  of  the  Hotel  Maury  drank  a  bottle  of 
Nacional  Pilsen  (Callao)  behind  a  door  when  the  boss 
was  not  looking.  Five  minutes  afterwards  one  mozo  died 
from  the  effects,  and  the  life  of  the  other  was  barely  saved. 
Another  man  drank  some  Backus  &  Johnston  beer. 
Shortly  afterwards  his  teeth  and  tongue  turned  black. 
In  both  these  cases  it  was  found  that  the  beer  wa:-'  mixed 
with  powerful  acids.  The  reason  for  this  has  not  yet  been 
discovered.  It  is  believed  by  some  people  that  the  prep- 
aration was  faulty;  by  others  that  it  was  the  work  of  a 
rival  brewery.  Most  of  the  confectionery  stores  have 
bars.  Broggi  invented  a  drink  which  goes  by  his  name. 
It  is  called  Broggi  bitters.  This  is  the  recipe: — Aperital, 
cane  syrup,  and  a  dash  of  Angostura.  To  this  is  added  a 
lemon  rind  that  has  been  soaked  in  alcohol.  Add  cracked 
ice  and  fill  the  glass  with  syphon  water.  Shake  well  and 
pour  the  liquid  through  a  strainer.  Broggi  bitters  may 
be  obtained  anywhere  in  Lima  but  they  do  not  taste  like 
the  ones  served  at  the  original  place.     The  Maury  special- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   455 

izes  in  Peruvian  cocktails.  This  drink  is  pisco,  lemon  juice, 
and  a  teaspoonful  of  sugar.  To  it  is  added  a  few  drops  of 
Angostura;  it  is  then  shaken  with  cracked  ice,  strained,  and 
served  with  an  orange  rind. 

Pisco  is  a  terribly  strong  native  drink  and  is  indulged  in 
by  the  lower  classes.  It  is  grape  alcohol,  and  is  flavored 
with  pineapple,  or  raspberry,  or  orange,  or  prunes.  It  is 
seen  in  the  cheap  saloons,  standing  in  large  glass  jars, 
yellow,  red,  orange,  or  brown  according  to  the  flavor  of  the 
ingredient  syrup.  Chicha,  far  from  being  like  the  grape 
cider  of  Chile,  is  here  a  corn  alcohol  and  is  indulged  in  by 
the  scum  for  their  debauches. 

I  was  once  in  Lima  when  there  was  much  money  in 
circulation.  The  crowds  of  foreign  residents  of  the  mining 
towns  in  the  Cordillera  and  the  floating  population  used 
to  hie  to  the  Maury  bar  twice  a  day  to  spend  it,  and  great 
orgies  were  pulled  off.  This  has  changed  materially,  for 
now  with  less  money  in  circulation,  there  are  no  more  of 
these  parties.  Formerly  one  never  saw  any  paper  cur- 
rency. Now  one  never  sees  any  gold.  Several  of  the 
banks  in  consolidation  have  issued  circular  checks  which 
are  considered  by  the  government  as  legal.  They  are  the 
best  looking  bills  in  South  America.  Their  denominations 
are  half  pound,  one  pound,  five  and  ten  pound  notes.  The 
merchants  grab  all  the  silver  soles  that  fall  into  their 
hands,  so  that  it  is  impossible  many  times  to  change  these 
circular  checks  when  change  is  most  needed.  Some  mer- 
chants place  signs  in  their  stores  saying  that  this  paper 
currency  will  not  be  accepted  as  tender  unless  the  purchases 
amount  to  two  soles.  I  was  told  by  the  cashier  of  the 
Bank  of  Peru  and  London  that  if  I  went  into  a  cafe, 
bought  and  drank  a  bottle  of  beer,  and  offered  one  of  these 
checks  in  payment,  the  proprietors  would  be  obliged  to 
change  it  even  though  they  had  signs  posted  to  the  con- 


456  Journeys  and  Experiences 

trary.  He  said  that  if  they  refused  to  make  change  for  me 
to  walk  off  without  paying  and  the  law  would  be  on  my 
side.  I  told  this  to  a  chance  acquaintance  from  Montana 
who  had  a  perpetual  thirst.  He  tried  it  out  by  making 
diurnal  rounds  of  many  saloons,  drinking  two  or  three 
potations  in  each  place,  always  tendering  a  circular  check 
of  one  of  the  higher  values,  which  he  invariably  found 
unchangeable 

Lima  has  the  only  ice-cream  soda  fountains  that  I  have 
discovered  south  of  the  Equator  although  I  am  told  that 
one  exists  in  Buenos  Aires.  It  also  has  a  soft  drink  parlor, 
Leonard's,  called  the  Hemaglobino,  where  ordinary  soda 
water  with  the  standard,  and  to  us  exotic,  syrups,  such  as 
tamarind,  are  dispensed.  As  to  money  making,  it  is  a 
mint,  and  as  Prat  remarked  to  me,  in  Buenos  Aires  it 
would  be  a  veritable  gold  mine. 

A  Lima  institution  that  needs  to  be  ameliorated  is  the 
post  ofhce  department.  None  of  the  South  American 
post  offices  are  any  too  reliable  but  that  of  Lima  is  the 
limit.  A  few  instances  of  post  office  irregularities  in  the 
Latin  republics  will  serve  as  an  introduction  before  that  of 
Lima  is  dealt  with. 

In  Paraguay  it  happens  that  the  post  offices  frequently 
run  shy  of  stamps.  A  person  in  Asuncion  would  like  to 
mail  a  letter.  He  takes  it  to  the  post  office  and  is  told  that 
there  are  no  stamps  but  that  if  he  will  pay  the  money 
equivalent  to  the  postage  the  letter  will  be  forwarded. 
He  does  so,  and  it  is  the  last  he  or  anybody  else  ever  sees 
of  the  letter.  It  is  opened  by  the  post  office  clerk  to  see  if 
it  contains  money.  If  it  does,  the  money  finds  its  way  into 
the  clerk's  pocket.  In  any  case  the  letter  is  thrown  into 
the  waste-paper  basket. 

In  enlightened  Argentina,  there  is  also  much  thievery 
of  mail.     A  mail  car  was  recently  wrecked  on  the  Central 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    457 

Argentine  Railroad.  Between  the  lining  of  the  car  and 
the  outside  boards  hundreds  of  opened  registered  letters 
were  found.  A  postmaster  in  a  small  Argentine  village 
died  recently.  In  remodeling  the  building  which  was  used 
as  the  post  office  there  were  found  in  the  basement  four 
thousand  opened  letters. 

In  Santiago  I  was  advised  by  my  friends  to  send  them 
no  registered  mail.  They  told  me  if  I  did,  they  would 
probably  never  receive  it  because  it  was  common  for  the 
post  office  clerks  to  open  registered  mail  to  see  if  it  con- 
tained money.  In  Argentina  and  in  Bolivia  the  post 
office  clerks  are  discourteous  and  hate  to  make  change. 
They  gossip  with  their  friends,  keeping  a  row  of  people 
waiting  indefinitely  for  service.  Oftentimes  they  are 
busily  engaged  in  reading  a  newspaper  and  will  not  look  up 
until  the  article  is  read.  In  Ecuador  with  the  exception 
of  the  city  of  Guayaquil  there  is  no  money  order  service, 
and  letters  are  not  forwarded  if  the  addressee  changes  his 
residence.  In  Peru  there  is  no  money  order  service  between 
Lima  and  the  mining  towns  such  as  Cerro  de  Pasco. 
Many  foreigners  live  in  this  last-mentioned  town  and  it  is 
often  necessary  for  people  in  the  capital  to  remit  money  to 
them.  In  order  to  do  so,  it  is  necessary  for  the  remitter 
to  go  to  a  bank  and  purchase  a  draft. 

Regarding  the  Lima  post  office,  thievery  is  rampant. 
I  bought  some  Panama  hats  in  Paita  and  had  them  sewed 
up  neatly  in  several  parcels  which  I  mailed  to  friends  in 
the  United  States.  The  parcels  arrived  with  practically 
the  identical  sewing  that  I  had  done,  but  when  they  were 
opened  they  were  found  to  contain  newspapers.  A  letter 
to  the  United  States  ±rom  Lima  requires  twelve  centavos 
postage  and  a  postal  card  four  centavos.  When  a  for- 
eigner goes  to  this  post  office  and  looks  around  for  the 
stamp  window  he  is  invariably   accosted  by  several  in- 


458  Journeys  and  Experiences 

dividuals  who  inquire  if  he  wishes  to  buy  any  stamps. 
Upon  their  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  they  inquire 
what  denomination  he  wants.  If  he  should  tell  them  that 
he  wants  to  buy  some  twelve  centavo  stamps  they  will 
produce  a  bunch  of  them  which  they  will  sell  him  for  eight 
centavos.  They  also  sell  four  centavo  stamps  for  two  and 
three  centavos.  Many  of  these  stamps  are  minus  gum. 
This  shows  that  the  post  office  clerks  are  in  league  with 
these  touts.  They  take  off  the  new  stamps,  throw  the 
letters  in  the  waste-pai^er  basket,  hand  the  stamps  to  their 
understudies,  who  whack  up  the  profits  with  them.  These 
clerks  also  steal  new  stamps  from  the  drawers  and  peddle 
them  out  the  same  way. 

In  Lima,  Montevideo,  and  Asuncion,  the  post  office 
clerks  also  do  a  lucrative  business  in  selling  canceled 
stamps  to  collectors.  They  will  invariably  ask  the  for- 
eigner if  he  wishes  to  buy  a  set  of  the  current  issue  canceled. 
If  he  refuses  they  are  offended. 

Peru  is  very  fertile  in  the  stamp  issues  that  it  has  put 
forth  ever  since  postage  stamps  have  been  invented. 
Fortunately  for  collectors,  Peru  is  considered  a  good  coun- 
try, as  many  of  its  stamps  bring  high  prices  in  London, 
New  York,  and  Paris.  The  natives  know  this  and  there  is 
not  to  be  found  a  booth  in  Lima  which  sells  stationery, 
lead  pencils,  cigars,  and  lottery  tickets  which  does  not  also 
sell  canceled  postage  stamps  of  the  past  issues  of  the 
countr3\  These  can  be  bought  very  cheaply,  and  can  be 
resold  in  the  United  vStates  at  fancy  prices. 

Peru  can  be  called  a  lawless  country.  It  has  a  good  code 
but  its  laws  are  not  lived  up  to.  There  have  been  many 
revolutions  and  there  will  be  a  continuance  of  them  due  to 
]ts  lawless,  heterogeneous  population,  and  the  political 
rivalry  between  different  factions.  Most  of  the  inhabi- 
tants have  political  ambitions  on   account   of   the  graft 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    459 

connected  with  the  appointments.  Although  this  is  true 
all  over  the  world,  it  is  especially  true  in  Peru.  The  cholo 
maltreats  the  Indian,  and  the  white  man  bullies  the  cholo. 
The  Lima  police  very  seldom  arrest  a  foreigner  because 
they  can  work  him  for  money.  I  know  of  an  American 
in  Lima  who  through  some  act  of  his  got  into  conflict 
with  the  police.  They  led  him  off  ostensibly  to  jail,  but 
when  they  reached  a  dark  street  they  asked  him  how  much 
he  would  give  if  they  let  him  go.  They  willingly  accepted 
ten  pesos.  One  night  I  made  a  purchase  in  one  of  the 
stores.  After  having  paid  for  it,  I  took  my  purchase  and 
walked  out  into  the  street.  I  had  scarcely  taken  a  few 
steps  before  the  proprietor  ran  out  of  his  store  and  told  me 
that  I  had  not  paid  him  enough  because  he  had  discovered 
that  what  he  sold  me  was  worth  more  than  he  charged 
me.  This  is  a  favorite  South  American  dodge  and  is 
perpetrated  by  storekeepers  when  they  think  they  can  get 
more  for  their  goods  than  what  they  sold  them  for.  Even 
the  proprietor  of  a  large  importing  drug  firm  in  Arequipa 
tried  this  on  me  once,  and  he  was  a  man  worth  over  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  I  declined  to  pay  the  Lima 
storekeeper  any  more  money  and  also  declined  to  give  up 
my  purchase.  A  half  block  away  stood  several  policemen 
and  he  sent  a  friend  after  one  of  these.  The  cops  soon 
appeared  on  the  scene  and  started  to  make  a  big  fuss. 
Ordinarily  I  would  have  returned  the  purchase  but  this 
happened  to  be  something  that  I  wanted.  When  the 
policemen,  storekeeper,  and  bystanders  were  at  the  pitch 
of  excitement,  I  managed  to  slip  a  couple  ot  pesos  into  the 
hands  of  the  former.  They  immediately  changed  their 
attitude,  threatened  the  storekeeper  and  his  friend  with 
arrest,  espoused  my  cause,  and  even  went  with  me  as  far 
as  the  door  of  the  Hotel  Maury  to  "protect  me  from 
molestation"  as  they  called  it. 


460 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


A  certain  Lima  senator  not  long  ago  caught  his  wife  in  a 
compromising  act  with  a  stranger.  He  had  them  both 
arrested  on  a  charge  of  adultery.  He  hired  the  police  to 
castrate  the  stranger,  which  was  done  in  the  jail.  No 
proceedings  were  ever  taken  against  the  senator  and  the 
stranger  was  given  short  notice  to  leave  the  city. 


Cercado  Church,  Lima 


The  General  Cemetery  of  Lima  is  worthy  of  a  visit. 
It  is  situated  outside  of  the  city  limits,  east  of  a  sub- 
urb named  Cercado.  From  the  Plaza  Santa  Ana,  the  best 
way  to  reach  it  is  by  the  long,  populous,  and  none  too 
straight  Calle  Junin  on  which  is  passed  the  ancient  salmon- 
colored  church  of  Carmen  in  front  of  a  shady  plazuela.  I 
once  saw  a  vulture  the  size  of  an  eagle  perched  on  the  top  of 
one  of  the  iron  framework  crosses  that  ennoble  its  exterior. 
Several  long  blocks  beyond  it  is  Cercado,  now  inside  the 
corporation    of    Lima    but    formerly    a    separate    village. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  4^'! 

founded  in  1586,  and  given  the  name  Santiago.  Its  pre- 
sent name,  Cercado,  is  derived  from  the  Spanish  circuido 
meaning  "surrounded,"  because  the  town  was  formerly 
surrounded  with  walls.  At  the  end  of  one  of  its  tortuous 
streets  is  an  insane  asylum  ot  such  a  forbidding  character 
that  the  epithet  over  its  gate,  "Let  all  who  enter  leave  hope 


r- 

• , 

*^ 

r^ 

^1^ 

^v4 

»e    V 

^^f^v^ 

'4 

;  ■■■   -ll 

Tomb  of  the  Goyeneche  Family,  in  the  General  Cemetery,  Lima 


behind, "  can  be  properly  applied.  In  its  garden  is  a  well 
where  the  attendants  duck  the  refractory  imbeciles  till 
bubbles  come  up.  Behind  the  asylum  is  the  Plaza  de 
Cercado,  treeless,  and  traversed  by  an  open  sewer.  Here 
is  situated  the  ancient,  dull  drab,  towered  church,  also 
named  Cercado.  A  prolongation  of  the  Calle  Ancahs, 
here  a  broad  avenue,  bordered  on  both  sides  by  large 
trees,  leads  directly  to  the  cemetery. 


4<^2  Journeys  and  Experiences 

The  General  Cemetery  possesses  some  of  the  finest  works 
of  marble  monumental  sculpture  in  South  America. 
These  masterpieces  were  done  before  the  Pacific  War  in 
1879  when  Peru  was  an  opulent  country,  and  was  not  in 


Mr.  Kurt  Waldemar  Linn  of  Nev/  York 

This  photograph  was  taken  in  the  General  Cemetery  in  Lima 


the  decadent  and  revolutionary  state  that  it  is  in  at  the 
present  time.  Personally  I  do  not  like  this  cemetery 
because  it  is  enclosed  with  high  walls  into  w^hich  are  set 
thousands  of  niches,  a  true  Roman  columbarium.  Even 
in  sunny  daylight,  it  presents  an  ultra  mournful  appear- 
ance, no  doubt  due  to  congestion  of  room.  If  ever  there 
was  a  City  of  the  Dead,   this  is  one.     Near  the  main 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  4^^^ 

entrance  is  a  pantheon,  which  must  be  passed  through  be- 
fore reaching  the  cemetery  proper.  In  front  of  it  is  a  semi- 
rotunda  bordered  by  exquisite  marble  busts  and  h'kenesses 
of  Peru's  famous  dead  of  more  than  a  half  century  ago. 
These  are  finely  chiselled  masterpieces  of  soft  white 
gypsum -like  marble,  preserving  to  the  present  time  their 


Mr.  Linn  of    New  York  Rising  out  of  the  Tomb  Erected  in  Honor  of  the 
Peruvian  Heroes  of  the  Pacific  War,  1879-1882 


original  aspects.  These  unblemished,  untarnished  sculp- 
tural likenesses  are  of  statesmen,  professors,  and  so  forth, 
dignified,  with  nothing  in  common  with  the  uncouth  rab- 
ble of  Lima  to-day.  It  is  just  as  well  that  the  men  whose 
remains  are  interred  beneath  these  pedestals  have  long 
since  died  for  they  have  not  witnessed  the  humiliating 
defeat  of  their  fatherland  and  the  surrender  of  the  nitrate 
fields  of  Iquique,  together  with  the  loss  of  Tacna  and  Arica, 
nor  did  they  hear  the  tramp  through  Lima's  streets  of  the 
Chilean  conquerors. 


464 


Journeys  and  Experiences 


Beyond  the  pantheon  are  some  fine  mausoleums,  that 
of  the  Goyeneche  being  remarkable.  The  cadavers  are 
not  sequestered  in  the  tombs,  but  in  niches  in  vaults 
underneath  reached  by  a  descending  flight  of  stairs.  The 
niches  rent  for  six  soles  for  two  years  ($1.50  a  year)  and  in 


Corpse  Bearer,  General  Cemetery,  Lima 


them  are  deposited  the  remains  of  those  whose  means  are 
limited.  A  white  marble  slab  generalh^  covers  the  front 
of  the  niche.  On  these  slabs  are  designs,  differing  but  little 
from  each  other  in  originality.  The  paintings  on  the  slabs 
are  black  and  depict  a  willow  tree  on  one  of  whose  branches 
sits  an  owl.  Beneath  the  tree  in  attitudes  of  prayer  and 
mourning  are  shown  several  human  beings  grouped  about 
a  corpse  lying  on  a  couch.  The  infant  mortality  in  Lima 
must  be  great  as  is  evidenced  by  the  number  of  fresh 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   465 

cement  fillings  over  the  niches  that  are  just  large  enough 
to  permit  the  coffin  of  a  child  to  be  placed  in  the  aperture. 
I  witnessed  several  burials  of  poor  children.     The  father, 


Putting  a  Coffin  into  a  Niche,  General  Cemetery,  Lima 


mother,  and  a  few  relatives  appear  at  the  cemetery  carry- 
ing a  coffin,  smoking  cigarettes,  and  apparently  no  more 
absorbed  with  grief  than  if  a  pet  dog  or  cat  had  died.  A 
cemetery  employee  relieves  them  of  their  load  and  finds  a 
niche.  He  climbs  upon  some  boards  stretched  across  a 
pair  of  wooden  carpenter's  horses  and  slides  into  the  hole 


466  Journeys  and  Experiences 

that  which  had  once  been  human.  He  then  seizes  a 
cement  slab,  many  of  which  are  lying  about,  having  been 
especially  manufactured  for  the  cemetery  to  be  used  on 
such  occasions,  fits  it  in  the  niche  end,  and  slaps  over  it  a 
few  trowelfuls  of  wet  cement.  A  scratch  on  the  cement 
with  a  pointed  stick  writes  the  name  of  the  deceased  infant 
and  the  date  of  its  succumbing.  The  work  of  interring  is 
so  slipshodly  done  that  swarms  of  insects,  which  delight 
in  making  repasts  on  the  putrefying  entrails  of  corpses, 
crawl  through  the  cracks  of  the  cement  and  seethe  on  the 
faces  of  the  slabs.  Some  of  these  bit  me  and  caused 
festering  sores  by  their  undelectable  inoculation. 

In  the  west  end  of  this  cemetery  is  another  pantheon, 
this  one  superb.  In  it  are  the  sarcophagi  of  General 
Bolognesi,  Admiral  Grau,  and  other  heroes  of  the  Pacific 
War.  It  also  contains  the  bones  of  the  former  presidents. 
Protestants,  pagans,  and  freemasons  are  not  interred  in  this 
cemetery. 

Lima  has  a  patron  saint,  Santa  Rosa.  She  is  also  the 
patron  saint  of  Callao.  She  was  born  in  Lima,  April  30, 
1536,  and  devoted  a  life  of  purity  to  God.  She  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-one  years,  August  23,  1567.  She  was  canon- 
ized by  Pope  Clement  X.  in  1671. 

There  are  many  legends  printed  in  book  form  about  the 
city  of  Mexico,  but  none  that  I  know  of  about  this  much 
more  interesting  city,  Lima.  Anecdotes  and  tales  of  the 
early  history  of  Buenos  Aires  and  Bahia  would  be  worth 
reading,  but  I  doubt  if  there  is  any  city  of  the  Western 
Hemisphere  which  is  as  rich  in  romance  as  Peru's  capital. 
Some  of  the  old  houses  here  could  tell  many  interesting 
tales  if  walls  could  speak,  especially  that  one  still  existing 
called  the  Torre-Tagle  house,  where  the  Spanish  viceroys 
formerly  resided.  It  has  a  beautiful  mahogany  ceiling 
and  balustrades  and  is  the  home  of  the  Zevallos  family. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  467 

No  modern  book  on  Peru  has  the  names  of  the  viceroys 
tabulated.  I  have  therefore  gathered  the  names  of  the 
best  known  ones. 

1.  Blassco  Nufiez  de  Vela.      1 544-1 551. 

2.  Antonio  de  Mendoza.    vSept.  23,  1551-July  21, 1556. 
He  founded  the  University  of  San  Marcos  at  Lima. 

3.  Andres  Hurtado  de  Mendoza.  July  21,  1556- 
March  30,  1561. 

4.  Diego  Lopez  de  Zuniga,  Count  of  Nieva.  April  17, 
1561-Feb. 20,  1564. 

5.  Francisco  de  Toledo.  November  26,  1569-vSept. 
23,  1581. 

He  is  called  the  vSolon  of  Peru.  He  estabHshed  the 
Inquisition. 

6.  Martin  Enriquez  de  Almanza.  Sept.  23,  1581- 
March  15,  1583. 

7.  Fernando  de  Torres  y  Portugal,  Count  del  Villar  de 
Pardo.     1586-Jan.  6,  1590. 

8.  Garcia  Hurtado  de  Mendoza,  Marquis  of  Canete. 
Jan.  6,  1590-July  26,  1596. 

9.  Luis  de  Velazco.     July  26,  1596-Jan.  28,  1604. 

He  established  free  schools.  He  had  the  first  census  of 
Lima  taken  January  i,  1600.  Its  population  then  was 
14,262. 

10.  Caspar  de  Zuniga  y  Acevedo,  Count  of  Monterrey. 
Jan.  28,  1604-Feb.  16,  1606. 

11.  Juan  de  Mendoza  y  Lima,  Marquis  of  Montes- 
claros.     Feb.  16,  1606-Dec.  18,  161 5. 

He  built  the  stone  bridge  at  Lima  which  is  called  the 
Puente  Vieja  and  laid  out  the  Alameda  de  los  Descalzos. 

12.  Francisco  de  Borja  y  Aragon,  Prince  of  Esquilache. 
Dec.  18,  1615-July  25,  1622. 

13.  Diego  Fernandez  de  Cordoba,  Marquis  of  Guadal- 
cazar.     July  25,  1622-Jan.  14,  1629. 


468  Journeys  and  Experiences 

14.  Luis  Geronimo  Fernandez  de  Cabrera,  Count  of 
Chinchon.     Jan.  14,  1629-Dec.  15,  1639. 

During   his   viceroyalty,    the   medicinal   properties  of 
quinine  were  discovered  at  Lima. 

15.  Pedro  de  Toledo  y  Leyta,  Marquis  of  Mancero. 
Dec.  15,  1 639-. 

16.  Garcia  Sarmiento  de  Sotomayor,   Count  of  vSal- 
vatierra.     -June  26,  1659. 

17      Luis  Enrique  de  Guzman,  Count  of  Alba  de  Liste. 
June  26,  1659-. 

18.  Diego  Benavides  y  de  la  Cueva,  Count  of  Santis- 
teban.     -1666. 

19.  Pedro    Fernandez    de    Castro,    Count    of    Lemu. 
I 666- I 672. 

20.  Baltazar  de  la  Cueva  Enriquez.     1672-. 

21.  Archbishop  Melchor  Linan  y  Cisneros. 

22.  Melchor  de  Navarra  y  Rocaful. 

23.  Melchor    Portocarrero,    Count    de    la  Monclova. 
-Sept.  22,  1705. 

He  had  a  census  of  Lima  taken,  Jan.  i,  1700.     Its  popu- 
lation was  37,234. 

24.  Manuel  de  0ms  y  Santa  Pau,  Marquis  of  Castel 
Dos  Rios.     Sept.  22,  1705-Apr.  22,  1710. 

25.  Diego  Ladron  de  Guevara,  Bishop  of  Quito.     Apr. 
22,  1710-. 

27.  Diego  de  Morcillo,  Archbishop  of  Charcas.     -Jan. 
II,  1730. 

28.  Jose  de  Almendariz,   Marquis  of  Castel  Fuerte. 
Jan.  II,  1730-. 

30.  Jose  Antonio  Manso  de  Velasco,  Count  of  Super- 
unda.     July  12,  1745-Nov.  13,  1762. 

31.  Manuel  de  Amat.     Nov.  13,  1762-. 
He  expelled  the  Jesuits  from  Peru. 

35.     Francisco  Gil  de  Taboada,   Lemus  y  Villamarin 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  469 

36.  Ambrosio  O'Higgins,  Marquis  of  Osorno.     -Mar. 
18,  1801. 

He  built  the  road  from  Lima  to  Callao. 

37.  Gabriel  de  Aviles  y  del  Fierro,  Marquis  of  Aviles, 
Nov.  6,  iSoi-July  26,  1806. 

38.  Jose  Fernando  Abascal.     July  26,  1806-. 

39.  Joaquim  de  la  Pezuela. 
He  was  the  last  Viceroy  of  Peru. 


CHAPTER  XV 

ACROSS  THE  CORDILLERA  TO  THE  RIO  TAMBO 

Professor  Edward  Alsworth  Ross  in  his  book  South  of 
Panama  says  of  Peru : 

"Were  I  to  be  exiled,  and  confined  the  rest  of  my  life 
to  one  country,  I  should  choose  Peru.  Here  is  every  alti- 
tude, every  climate,  every  scene.  The  lifeless  desert  and 
the  teeming  jungle,  the  hottest  lowlands  and  the  bleakest 
highlands,  heaven-piercing  peaks  and  rivers  raving  through 
canyons — -all  in  Peru.  The  crassest  heathenism  flourishes 
two  days  in  the  saddle  from  noble  cathedrals,  and  the  bus- 
tling ports  are  counterpoised  by  secluded  inland  towns 
where  the  past  lies  miraculously  preserved  like  the  mummy 
of  the  saint  in  a  crypt.  "  . 

The  greatest  part  of  Peru  lies  east  of  the  Andes.  It  is 
also  the  least  known  part  of  Peru  for  it  is  rarely  visited  by 
strangers  or  mining  men  or  commercial  travelers.  The 
part  they  see  is  the  desert  coast  line  with  its  dirty,  poverty- 
stricken  towns,  the  bleak  barren  peaks  that  fringe  the 
Pacific  littoral,  here  and  there  a  spot  of  verdure  at  the 
mouth  of  a  river,  and  Lima,  the  capital.  A  few  others, 
mostly  mining  men  and  engineers,  take  a  trip  to  the 
summit  of  nearby  mountains  on  the  Oroya  railroad, 
sojourn  in  the  mining  towns,  suffer  from  cold  and  lone- 
someness,  and  swear  that  Peru  is  the  damnedest  country  on 
the  face  of  the  globe,  and  are  heartily  glad  when  the  time 

470 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile      471 

comes  for  them  to  leave,  vowing  never  to  return  again. 
Barely  a  handful  of  these  people  ever  cross  the  passes  of 
the  eastern  cordillera,  and  descend  the  banks  of  the  rivu- 
lets formed  from  the  melting  of  the  perpetual  snows  until 
these  rivulets  become  streams,  the  country  opens  out, 
and  the  climate  changes  from  that  of  the  arctic  regions  to 
that  of  the  temperate  zone  and  finally  changes  again  to 
that  of  the  tropics.  If  the  tourist  journeyed  farther  he 
would  find  himself  in  a  vast  forest  of  tropical  trees,  impene- 
trable, and  the  home  of  wild  Indians  of  the  blowpipe  vari- 
ety, who  roam  the  great  swamps  and  jungles  clad  not  even 
in  a  loin  cloth.  He  would  meet  mighty  rivers  as  wide  as 
our  wid'^st  ones,  would  observe  flora  such  as  is  only  seen 
in  our  hothouses,  and  would  see  many  species  of  fauna 
which  he  has  never  seen  except  at  a  zoo.  This  great,  and 
for  the  most  part  unexplored,  section  of  Peru  is  part  of  the 
Amazon  watershed  and  forms  a  wilderness  of  forest  which 
is  the  continuation  of  that  of  Brazil.  The  Amazon  and 
many  of  its  tributaries  rise  near  the  summits  of  the  Andes, 
and  cutting  their  passage  in  deep  gorges  and  canyons  ever 
widening  in  their  descent  down  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
great  barrier  range  of  mountains,  finally  reach  the  low- 
lands and  flow  peacefully  in  the  direction  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  their  volume  of  water  being  continually  augmented 
by  an  inpour  of  thousands  of  similar  smaller  streams. 

A  person  who  is  at  the  mouth  of  a  great  river  longs  to 
follow  it  up  to  its  source,  likewise  a  person  standing  at  the 
source  or  at  the  side  of  a  little  stream  which  he  can  step 
across  and  know  that  thousands  of  miles  away  it  flows  into 
the  ocean  as  a  mighty  river,  is  fascinated  and  a  longing 
comes  over  him  to  descend  it  and  follow  it  to  its  outlet, 
especially  if  it  happens  to  be  in  a  country  that  is  new  to 
him  and  the  course  of  the  flowing  road  lies  through  a 
stretch  of  the  universe  that  to  him  is  an  unsolved  mystery. 


4/2  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Twice  before  I  have  stood  at  the  sources  of  tributaries  to 
the  Amazon,  and  each  time  I  could  hardly  resist  the 
temptation  of  following  them  downward.  Once  was  at 
Huancayo  on  the  Mantaro.  This  river  flows  eastward 
and  joins  the  Apurimac,  forming  the  Rio  Tambo.  The  latter 
joins  the  Urubamba,  forming  the  Ucayali.  The  Ucayali 
joins  the  Maranon,  forming  the  main  stream  of  the  Amazon. 
The  other  time  was  at  La  Paz  at  the  headwaters  of  the 
Chuquillampo.  This  river  descends  very  steeply  through 
a  wild  gorge  named  the  Yungas  and  flows  into  the  Alta- 
machi.  The  latter  flows  into  the  Beni  which  in  turn  emp- 
ties into  the  Madeira.  The  Madeira  flows  into  the  x\mazon. 
As  1  was  limited  for  time  on  each  of  these  previous  occa- 
sions I  had  to  forego  the  pleasure  and  excitement  of  such  a 
thrilling  expedition.  Also  the  descent  of  either  of  these 
rivers  would  have  been  impracticable  without  a  large  ex- 
pedition because  their  courses  lie  through  a  country  in- 
habited by  savage  Indians  which  would  make  traveling 
extremely  dangerous. 

In  Lima  this  time  the  idea  occurred  to  me,  since  I  had 
been  twice  thwarted  in  my  desire  to  descend  the  length  of 
the  Amazon  basin  and  might  never  have  another  chance  if 
not  at  present,  that  it  would  be  a  good  stunt  to  obtain  all 
possible  information  about  what  route  to  take,  and  if  feas- 
ible to  make  another  attempt.  I  spoke  about  it  to  Prat 
who  did  not  fall  in  with  the  idea  very  well  as  he  had  a  whole- 
some fear  of  the  wild  tribes  which  he  was  told  infested 
the  whole  forest  region  of  Amazonian  Peru.  After  a  con- 
siderable palaver  he  finally  agreed  to  take  a  chance  and 
since  we  were  told  at  the  American  consulate  that  the  best 
way  to  make  the  trip  would  be  by  the  way  of  the  Chan- 
chamayo  and  the  Perene  Rivers,  we  determined  upon  this 
last-mentioned  route  and  then  started  tomake  preparations. 

There  lives  in  Lima  oile  of  the  best  fellows  that  I  have 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  473 

ever  become  a  chance  acquaintance  of.  His  name  is  Tomas 
de  Mandalangoitia  and  by  occupation  he  is  an  official  of  the 
Peruvian  line  of  steamers  plying  between  Ilo  and  Panama. 
He  gave  me  much  information  about  my  prospective  trip 
and  as  his  intentions  were  to  sail  the  next  week  for  Pan- 
ama on  business  for  his  company,  he  offered  to  see  that  all 
our  baggage  would  get  through  safely  to  that  port.  This 
he  did,  and  to  him  I  am  extremely  thankful  as  otherwise  I 
would  have  never  been  able  to  make  the  trip.  I  left  the 
details  of  the  first  stages  of  the  trip  to  Signor  Francesco 
Sansoni,  the  courier  of  the  Hotel  Maury,  who  telegraphed 
to  the  different  stopping  places  en  route  as  far  as  the  Perene 
Colony,  making  rf^servations  for  me  for  horses,  and  accom- 
modation for  me,  with  guides.  He  arranged  my  itinerary 
and  also  made  in  Lima  what  necessary  purchases  we 
would  require.  The  latter  consisted  of  a  portable  stove, 
tent,  blankets,  rifles,  revolvers,  sack  of  beans,  salt,  sugar, 
molasses,  and  buckskin  shoes.  I  also  carried  a  camera 
and  medicine  chest.  I  might  as  well  mention  that  I  went 
to  all  this  expense  for  nothing  because  on  the  Rio  Tambo 
our  boat  upset  and  we  lost  everything  in  the  water  except- 
ing the  clothes  we  had  on,  our  money  which  with  our  letters 
of  credit  we  had  tied  around  our  persons  in  a  belt,  and  our 
revolvers  with  a  box  of  cartridges  which  we  had  in  our 
pockets.  Prat  even  lost  his  hat  and  was  obliged  to  buy  an 
Indian  piece  of  headgear  from  a  native  boatman  which  he 
wore  until  we  reached  Iquitos  a  month  later. 

The  railroad  to  Oroya,  the  highest  in  the  world,  has  been 
described  so  many  times  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  do  so 
now.  In  even  hours  one  is  taken  from  Lima  to  an  altitude 
of  15,865  feet  and  then  dropped  down  368(5  feet  to  the 
junction  town  of  Oroya,  from  which  place  a  railroad  runs 
northward  to  Cerro  de  Pasco,  and  another  one  southward 
to  Huancayo.     At  Casapalca  near  to  the  summit  of  the 


474  Journeys  and  Experiences 

Andes  west  of  the  divide  there  was  a  herd  of  llamas  num- 
bering about  three  hundred  behind  the  railroad  sheds. 
I  obtained  a  good  photograph  of  them  which  is  here 
reproduced.  Most  of  the  people  on  the  train  suffered 
from  soroche,  a  mountain   sickness  akin  to  vertigo  and 


>«*j^ji 


Llamas  at  Casapalca 

Casapalca  is  about  14.000  feet  above  sea  level 


nausea  which  is  due  to  the  rapid  change  in  atmosphere 
that  the  traveler  undergoes  when  he  is  whisked  into  the 
high,  nitrogenous  altitudes.  It  commonly  takes  several 
days  before  the  unaccustomed  person  feels  all  right  again. 
At  Oroya  there  is  a  fair  hotel,  the  Junin,  where  I  was 
obliged  to  stop  over  night  and  where  the  raw  air  nearly 
chilled  me  through  on  account  of  my  previous  sojourn  in 
the  sub-tropics.  Oroya  is  12,179  feet  above  sea  level  and 
is  a  bleak,  dismal  place  at  its  best.  The  wind  blows 
something  fierce  and  chills  one's  very  marrow.  I  told  Prat 
that  he  had  better  dress  warmly  but  the  Spaniard  said  that 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile  475 

since  we  were  only  to  endure  a  few  days'  frigidity  he  could 
stand  it.  It  was  laughable  to  see  him  shiver  in  his  Palm 
Beach  suit  and  watch  him  chase  his  straw  sailor  hat 
which  a  gust  of  wind  would  occasionally  blow  off.  Even 
though  I  was  warmly  clad,  I  was  obliged  to  crawl  under 
four  blankets  with  all  my  clothes  on  when  I  retired  that 
night. 

At  six  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  were  awakened  and 
upon  emerging  from  the  front  door  found  a  cholo  guide, 
\\'ho  Francesco  Sansoni  had  telegraphed  for,  awaiting  us 
with  four  mules,  one  for  the  baggage.  We  had  so  much 
paraphernalia  with  us  that  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  load  it  all  upon  one  mule,  so  I  had  it  divided  somewhat 
in  order  that  the  three  mules  which  we  were  to  ride  would 
bear  some  of  the  burden.  We  were  ready  to  start  out  at 
any  time  after  breakfast  was  served,  which  we  had  ordered 
for  6.30  A.  M.,  but  seven  o'clock  slipped  by  without  any  of 
the  servants  having  prepared  any.  I  went  into  the  kitchen 
and  asked  the  cook  to  hurry  with  it,  but  he  said  that  the 
proprietor  was  asleep  and  had  the  keys  of  the  pantry.  I 
told  him  to  awaken  him,  but  the  cholo  cook  was  evidently 
afraid  to  disturb  the  sleep  of  his  Italian  master.  It  was 
nearly  nine  o'clock  before  we  got  away  after  we  had  par- 
taken of  some  stale  rolls  and  several  cups  of  poor  coffee. 
For  an  hour  and  a  half  after  starting  we  climbed  a  broad, 
well-traveled  path  up  the  western  slopes  of  the  barren 
mountains,  until  we  reached  the  summit  where  there  was  a 
pass  at  an  altitude  of  13,975  feet  above  sea  level.  This 
pass  is  the  dividing  line  between  the  Mantaro  and  the 
Palca  watersheds,  both  of  which  belong  to  the  Amazon 
basin.  The  Mantaro  flows  in  a  southeasterly  direction  out 
of  Lake  Junin  and  as  a  creek  flows  past  the  towns  of  Oroya 
and  Jauja,  ever  increasing  in  volume  so  that  it  is  quite 
respectable  in  size  at  Huancayo.     Beyond  the  summit  was 


476  Journeys  and  Experiences 

a  large  uneven  plain  from  which  rose  many  rounded  hills 
and  stony  buttes  and  which  was  sprinkled  here  and  there 
with  coarse  tufts  of  bunch  grass  at  which  we  saw  llamas 
grazing.  These  mountain  plateaus  are  in  Chile  called 
pampas,  in  Bolivia  and  Southern  Peru,  punos,  but  here 
and  farther  north  as  far  as  Colombia,  paramos.  It  took 
us  an  hour  to  cross  this  plain  which  sloped  gently  to  the 
east ;  then  began  a  rough  descent  over  stony  ground  on  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  mountain  till  we  reached  a  formation 
where  a  depression  of  the  ground  showed  us  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  valley.  The  grasses  became  more  abundant  and 
a  few  shrubs  appeared.  The  lower  we  descended,  the 
more  these  shrubs  took  on  the  appearance  of  trees  so  that 
now  the  country  had  a  totally  different  aspect  from  the 
barrenness  of  Oroya  and  the  high  plateau.  The  path  had 
broadened  considerably  so  that  it  nearly  assumed  a  road- 
like  width,  and  we  met  many  droves  of  llamas  followed 
up  by  drivers  on  muleback.  All  were  carrying  merchan- 
dise to  the  railroad.  In  a  few  days  they  would  return 
with  the  products  of  the  civilized  world  imported  from 
North  America  and  Europe.  We  now  came  upon  the 
south  bank  of  a  fastly  flowing  stream  and  followed  this 
for  about  five  hours,  riding  very  slowly  and  taking  in  the 
landscape  which  was  becoming  less  wild  all  the  time.  A 
few  miles  before  reaching  Tarma  the  banks  of  the  creek  were 
clothed  with  patches  of  calla  lilies,  growing  wild,  in  their 
original  native  state,  the  dark  green  of  their  arrow-shaped 
leaves  forming  a  brilliant  color  contrast  with  the  creamy 
whiteness  of  their  blossoms  and  the  golden  yellow  of  their 
petals.  A  cleft  m  the  mountains  was  seen  ahead,  which 
showed  us  that  our  creek  here  joined  another  river,  which 
was  true  for  here  the  Acomayo  was  reached.  Presently 
the  red  tile  roofs  of  Tarma  were  seen  among  the  euca- 
lyptus groves  and  soon  we  clattered  down  an  avenue  bor- 


In  i\rgentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    477 

dered  by  trees  and  on  each  side  of  which  ran  irrigation 
ditches.  At  the  end  of  this  avenue  was  an  ornamental 
gate  built  into  the  solid  walls  of  the  buildings  and  which 
looked  like  a  triumphal  arch.  Under  this  we  passed  and 
then  entered  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city,  drawing  up  at 


Tanna,  Peru 


the  Hotel  Roma  on  the  plaza,  where  rooms  reserved  for 
us  by  Sansoni  were  awaiting  our  occupancy. 

Tarma  is  a  very  pleasant  town  of  five  thousand  inhabi- 
tants in  an  ideal  location  in  a  narrow  valley  which  it  seems 
to  fill  at  the  base  of  high  mountains.  Its  altitude  is  io,oio 
feet  above  sea  level  but  it  lacks  the  chill  of  such  highly 
situated  towns  east  of  the  cordillera.  Here  the  cold  winds 
from  the  high  paramos  and  ice  peaks  do  not  reach  owing 
to  its  sheltered  position.     The  air  is  fresh,  but  not  raw  and 


478  Journeys  and  Experiences 

reminds  one  of  the  first  breezes  of  spring.  I  was  told  by 
the  accommodating  ItaHan  hotel  proprietor  that  the  cli- 
mate is  that  of  a  perpetual  spring. 

The  city  is  compactly  built  with  one-  and  two-story 
adobe  houses,  those  on  the  main  streets  being  painted  light 
colors  or  whitewashed.  In  the  center  of  the  town  is  a  tree- 
less plaza  but  beautified  with  shrubs  in  which  is  a  round 
cement  fountain  and  an  octagonal  frame  bandstand.  At 
one  side  of  this  plaza  is  the  parish  church  in  charge  of  an 
amiable  fat  priest,  a  cholo  who  has  but  a  slight  strain  of 
white  blood  as  can  be  observed  by  his  dark,  heavy  jowled 
features.  He  was  clad  in  a  white  robe  of  coarse  wool  over 
which  hung  a  dark  cape.  He  seemed  very  much  interested 
in  us  and  gave  us  letters  of  introduction  to  other  priests 
along  the  road  which  we  would  follow.  These  he  handed 
to  Prat  who  accidentally  lost  them  on  purpose;  the  Cata- 
lonian  in  his  heart  was  an  agnostic,  and  a  Roman  Catholic 
only  in  his  bringing  up.  He  would  walk  a  block  out  of 
his  way  to  avoid  meeting  a  priest,  yet  when  he  was  sick 
would  always  want  to  have  one  about  him.  He  would 
never  enter  a  church  and  would  make  sacrilegious  remarks, 
yet  when  a  thunderstorm  would  come  up,  he  would  cross 
himself  and  mumble  prayers  only  to  forget  them  as  soon  as 
the  sky  became  clear  again.  Padre  Troncoso  was  the 
name  of  the  Tarma  priest  and  he  delighted  in  having  me 
take  his  photograph.  He  teaches  in  the  parish  school  and 
asked  me  to  take  a  picture  of  his  highest  class  which  con- 
sisted of  sixteen  boys,  most  of  whom  were  white. 

The  Hotel  Roma  is  a  two-story  structure  with  a  carved 
wooden  balcony  on  its  second  floor;  its  exterior  is  much 
like  many  buildings  in  Stamboul.  It  is  a  very  comfortable 
and  clean  place  with  good  food.  There  is  another  hotel 
in  Tarma,  the  Umberto,  which  is  well  spoken  of.  The 
most  curious  sight  in  the  small  city  is  the  cemetery.     It 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    479 

reminds  one  of  a  Chinese  burying  ground.  It  is  filled  with 
many  grotesque  monuments,  some  of  them  having  tiled 
roofs.  These  individual  tombstones  are  of  adobe,  and  are 
whitewashed    over.     They    contain    several    niches    into 


Cemetery,  Tarma 


which  the  coffins  are  placed  and  they  are  so  narrow  that 
the  gruesome  burdens  may  be  put  in  them  at  either  end. 
We  left  Tarma  early  in  the  morning  and  followed  the 
Acomayo  River  a  couple  of  hours  to  the  town  of  Aco- 
bamba,  a  pretty  village  much  resembling  Tarma  only 
smaller.  We  watered  our  mules  here,  tarried  about  an 
hour,  and  then  continued  for  another  two  hours  to  the  city 
of  Palca  which  is  very  much  like  both  Tarma  and  Aco- 
bamba,  although  smaller  than  the  first-mentioned  place 
and  larger  than  the  last-mentioned  one.     It  is  a  poorer 


48o  Journeys  and  Experiences 

place  than  Tarma,  but  it  has  a  larger  church.  This  build- 
ing is  several  hundred  years  old;  it  is  of  adobe,  and  has  a 
broad  facade  from  one  side  of  which  rises  a  four-story  belfry 
capped  with  a  steeple.  The  valley  is  here  very  narrow 
but  beyond  Palca  there  is  a  widening  where  the  Acomayo 
flows  into  the  Rio  Palca.  This  river  we  followed  the  rest 
of  the  day.  The  scenery  between  Tarma  and  Palca  is 
much  the  same,  and  is  distinguished  by  the  number  of 
century  plants  along  the  roadside  and  the  abundance  of 
calla  lilies  along  the  river  bed.  Some  of  these  lilies  were 
spotted  and  likewise  had  light  spots  on  their  leaves. 
Leaving  Palca  there  was  a  much  more  varied  vegetation. 
This  was  noticeable  when  we  crossed  the  river  and  we 
proceeded  along  its  south  bank.  The  mountains  w^ere 
still  barren  but  were  beginning  to  show  unmistakable 
signs  by  the  increased  number  of  bushes  on  their  slopes 
that  we  were  approaching  a  wetter  climate.  The  river 
itself  had  all  the  attractions  of  a  clear,  rushing  mountain 
torrent  working  its  way  among  the  rocks  and  bowlders;  its 
banks  of  shale  rock  were  steep  and  thickly  clothed  with 
vegetable  life  of  many  species  Among  the  latter  were 
wild  verbenas  of  the  brightest  scarlet,  purple  begonias, 
several  varieties  of  fern,  wild  tobacco  plants,  and  a  creeper 
much  like  the  wild  cucumber.  An  hour  beyond  Palca 
we  arrived  at  the  hill  of  Carpapata  down  whose  sides  the 
road  zigzagged  in  many  windings.  The  natives  have 
made  a  short  cut  between  the  zigzags  which  saves  a  couple 
of  kilometers  but  which  is  too  steep  to  be  descended  in 
comfort.  Up  and  down  this  short  cut  they  drive  their 
llamas  which  take  readily  to  its  steepness  like  mountain 
sheep.  Arrived  near  the  bottom  of  the  hill  the  road  leads 
along  the  ledge  of  a  cliff  high  above  the  turbulent  river. 
To  look  down  or  up  is  apt  to  cause  giddiness.  This  is 
the  famous  scene  that  is  portrayed  in  the  geographies  of 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    481 

half  a  century  ago  where  a  llama  train  is  meeting  a  mule 
train  on  a  curve  at  the  side  of  a  precipice.  The  view 
with  the  river  flowing  at  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  is  truly 
impressive.  The  mountains  on  either  side  are  sheer  and 
rocky,  their  upper  slopes  covered  only  with  grass,  their 
bases  clothed  with  shrubs.  Straight  before  us  leading  to 
a  veritable  land  of  promise  lay  the  road,  threading  its  way 
on  a  gentle  downward  grade,  perpetually  alternating  from 
the  convex  to  the  concave  on  the  ledge  of  the  mountains. 
Ahead  of  us  on  the  other  side  of  the  canyon  a  single  moun- 
tain appeared  clad  with  forest  trees  up  to  its  very  summit, 
the  first  that  I  had  seen  in  Peru.  As  we  drew  nearer  it 
became  a  scene  of  enchanting  beauty,  with  its  colorings 
of  light  green  and  gray.  Prom  the  underbrush  near  its 
summit  there  was  poured  forth  a  large  waterfall,  which 
dashed  down  its  entire  height  in  three  separate  cascades 
for  several  hundred  feet. 

Towards  evening  we  reached  the  rest  house  named  the 
Huacapistana  Hotel,  at  an  exact  altitude  of  5600  feet 
above  sea  level.  This  is  the  real  gatewa}^  to  the  tropics. 
The  hotel,  owned  by  an  Italian,  is  built  on  a  narrow  shelf 
of  land  in  a  flowery  meadow  above  the  river  and  below 
the  road.  It  is  a  clean  well-kept  two-story  building  with 
half  a  dozen  guests'  rooms.  Adjoining  it  and  separated 
from  the  meadow  by  a  stone  wall  is  a  barn  and  a  corral  for 
horses  and  llamas.  The  climate  is  fresh  but  it  is  much 
warmer  than  at  Tarma.  A  mist  gathered  over  the  river 
that  night  which  made  the  atmosphere  rather  chilly.  This 
is  frequently  the  case  and  it  does  not  lift  until  the  sun  is 
well  out  the  next  morning. 

We  got  an  early  start  the  next  day  and  found  the  road, 

which  was  now  smooth,  wet,  and  slipper}'  from  the  mist. 

The  tree  trunks  and  branches  were  rich  in  symbiotic  life, 

with  ferns,  lianas,  and  orchidaceous  plants  of  many  spe- 

31 


482  Journeys  and  Experiences 

cies.  The  wild  cotton  trees  were  laden  with  festoons  of 
roseate  blossoms,  and  from  the  extremities  of  their  slender 
branches  would  be  seen  hanging  large  wasps'  nests.  Other 
nests  such  as  those  of  bees  and  ants  of  a  gray  color  spotted 
the  rocks  or  any  ava  ilabl  e  bare  space  on  the  smooth  bark  of  a 
tree.  The  effect  of  the  giant  tree  fern  spreading  its  graceful 
fronds  over  the  path  was  enchanting;  beneath  its  shade 
grew  seemingly  every  other  species  of  fern  which  one  has 
ever  noticed  in  hothouses  at  home.  We  passed  several 
small  coffee  plantations;  in  the  clearings  near  the  houses 
were  banana,  orange,  and  papaya  trees.  The  tit-shaped 
fruit  of  the  latter  is  so  common  that  it  is  left  unpicked 
for  the  birds  to  feed  on.  The  pods  attain  maturity 
in  regular  sequence  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  swell- 
ing in  size,  changing  from  green  to  yellow,  and  becom- 
ing soft  and  possessing  an  insipid  sweetish  odor.  In  the 
matter  of  vegetation  generally,  the  above  description  may 
be  fairly  said  to  characterize  the  whole  region;  orchids, 
scarlet  cannas,  the  broad-leafed  caladium  or  elephant's 
ear,  purple,  white,  and  pink  begonias,  scarlet  verbenas; 
creepers,  ferns,  and  mosses;  forest  trees,  reeds,  grasses, 
and  plant  life  generally,  interspersed  with  huge  bowlders 
and  masses  of  weatherbeaten  rock  of  a  chalky  whiteness, 
all  contributing  to  the  formation  of  the  most  perfect  fairy 
scene  imaginable. 

Occasionally  one  would  meet  with  a  blaze  of  color  from 
some  wild  cotton  trees,  laden  with  flowers,  pink,  yellow, 
and  even  blue;  and  equally  striking  was  the  effect  of  a  spe- 
cies of  wild  runner  bean  with  dark  green  leaves  and  thick 
bunches  of  vermilion  flowers  hanging  in  tresses,  and  ap- 
pearing to  nearly  smother  the  tree  which  gave  it  support. 

The  road  made  a  sudden  double  turn  to  reach  a  lower 
level  by  the  side  of  the  river,  and  then  became  a  low-roofed 
passage  cut  beneath  an  immense  wall  of  overhanging  rock, 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    483 

open  and  unsupported  on  the  river  side,  and  in  plain  view 
of  the  turbulent  stream  below.  The  softest  and  most 
luxuriant  vegetation  covers  this  rock,  and  it  is  overhung  in 
many  places  with  the  graceful  tape  fern,  and  the  snakelike 
roots  of  trees.  Here  I  saw  a  large  toucan  fly  across  the 
ravine  and  its  brilliant  plumage  of  scarlet  and  black  added 
a  still  further  charm  to  the  scene.  The  next  view  after 
passing  beneath  the  rocky  projection  is  one  which  can 
never  fail  to  arrest  the  attention.  At  a  distance  ahead, 
sufficient  to  enable  one  to  take  in  the  whole  picture,  rises 
the  Pan  de  Azucar  (Sugar  Loaf),  a  mountain  in  the  middle 
of  the  now  broadened  river  bed.  Its  marvelous  shape 
and  mantle  of  green  forest  trees,  which  extend  to  its  sum- 
mit, remind  one  of  the  Pitons  at  Castries,  St.  Lucia, 
although  on  a  much  smaller  scale.  We  came  to  a  place 
where  there  used  to  be  a  swinging  bridge  but  which  was 
some  time  ago  abandoned  because  the  road  crosses  the 
river  by  a  new  stone  one  farther  down.  Here  on  turning 
around  in  our  saddles  is  a  view  different  in  character  but 
equally  impressive  and  grand.  This  is  a  great  perpendic- 
ular patch  of  white  rock  regularly  stratified  but  wrinkled 
and  most  strangely  contorted  into  the  form  of  an  elhpti- 
cal  curve. 

The  bridges  over  the  river  which  we  had  to  cross  at 
different  stages  of  the  journey  deserve  a  word  of  praise 
for  their  construction,  combining  lightness  with  strength. 
They  are  of  the  suspension  type,  built  of  strong  cables 
with  plank  footboards,  and  sufficient  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  present  light  and  limited  mule  traffic.  When  cross- 
ing, it  is  advisable  to  dismount  and  walk,  because  they 
sway  considerably  and  are  open  at  the  sides.  One  such 
bridge  some  twelve  miles  below  Huacapistana  leads  to 
the  hacienda  of  Naranjal,  a  sugar  plantation.  The  only 
bridge  that  I  know  of  in  North  America  similar  to  these 


484  Journeys  and  Experiences 

swinging  bridges  of  Peru  spans  Capilano  Canyon  near 
North  Vancouver,  in  British  Cokimbia.  Naranjal  has  an 
old-fashioned  garden  with  a  fountain  surrounded  with 
mango  and  orange  trees,  the  latter  giving  the  name  to  the 
place.  Three  miles  below  Naranjal  is  the  ranch  house  of 
Milagro,  belonging  to  a  man  named  Horquiera. 

San  Ramon  is  a  little  village  situated  in  the  heart  of  the 
Chanchamayo  district.  The  country  is  here  more  open 
and  is  surrounded  at  varying  distances  by  undulations  and 
rounded  hills,  thickly  covered  with  virgin  forest;  their 
lower  slopes  were,  however,  cleared  for  sugar,  coffee,  and 
cocoa  plantations.  After  the  mist  had  cleared  in  the  early 
morning,  the  day  had  been  hot,  but  full  of  novel  interest, 
and  although  we  had  made  an  early  start  we  had  pro- 
gressed at  a  speed  not  exceeding  three  miles  an  hour  and 
had  now  only  completed  fifteen  miles.  The  settlement 
of  San  Ramon  although  somewhat  scattered  consists 
chiefly  of  one  street,  the  houses  on  which  are  no  more 
than  huts.  They  are  built  of  wood  and  have  thatched 
roofs,  the  latter  slanting  downward  in  front  from  the 
ridge  of  the  pole.  The  hotel  is  the  only  substantial  build- 
ing of  the  village.  It  is  a  two-story  stone  and  adobe 
building  set  back  from  the  road  in  a  field  which  is  some- 
what overrun  with  castor  beans. 

The  six  miles  between  San  Ramon  and  La  Merced  was 
over  fairly  level  ground  and  through  less  imposing  scenery. 
On  the  way  we  passed  through  several  hamlets  inhabited 
by  Chinamen  and  cholos,  and  small  chacras  on  which 
grew  papayas  and  other  fruits.  All  the  buildings  were 
of  mud  or  cane,  thatched  and  of  that  rustic  and  simple 
character  which  not  only  harmonizes  with  a  natural 
environment,  but  suits  the  country  and  climate  and  seems 
in  every  way  to  meet  the  needs  of  a  primitive  popu- 
lation.    Over  the  door  of  one  such  edifice  was  the  sign 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   485 

which  denoted  that  it  was  used  as  a  school.  At  the  time 
of  our  passing,  the  only  scholars  visible  were  a  boy  and  a 
girl,  who  with  their  backs  to  the  open  door,  sat  at  a  desk 
gazing  at  a  monstrous  colored  diagram  demonstrating 
the  evil  effects  of  alcohol  upon  the  human  system.  We 
crossed  the  very  fine  Herreria  suspension  bridge  and  two 
hours  after  leaving  San  Ramon  entered  La  Merced. 

La  Merced  is  situated  on  a  flat-topped  eminence  and 
commands  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  but  in 
itself  it  does  not  seem  to  possess  any  characteristics  of 
special  interest.  It  is  merely  a  small  country  town  with 
typical  parish  church  and  plaza  and  is  in  telegraphic  com- 
munication with  the  outside  world.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  town  have  suffered  considerably  from  malaria  which  is 
visible  on  their  wasted  and  parchment-colored  counte- 
nances. Leaving  La  Merced  it  took  us  three  hours  to 
reach  the  Peruvian  Corporation's  headquarters.  This  is 
located  at  the  junction  of  the  rivers  Paucartambo  and 
Chanchamayo,  the  combined  river  taking  the  name  of 
Perene.  The  road,  which  was  fair,  wound  around  the  left 
bank  of  the  Chanchamayo,  now  a  river  of  considerable 
breadth,  and  the  scenery  once  more  became  increasingly 
beautiful.  Tree  ferns  and  tree  palms  of  different  kinds 
were  again  abundant ;  from  one  of  these  species,  fanlike  in 
leaf,  is  made  the  local  straw  hat,  but  little  inferior  to  the 
so-called  Panama  variety.  Butterflies,  both  large  and 
small,  were  omnipresent.  The  whole  distance  from  La 
Merced  to  the  Peruvian  Corporation's  headquarters  is 
about  fifteen  miles.  The  bridge  over  the  Colorado  River, 
a  tributary  stream,  was  under  repair,  so  leaving  the  path 
we  saved  time  and  distance  by  fording  it.  In  the  rainy 
season  this  would  have  been  an  impossibility,  for  it  be- 
comes a  raging  torrent,  as  evidenced  by  the  huge  rounded 
boulders,  and  width  of  its  bed,  along  which  we  had  to  ride. 


486  Journeys  and  Experiences 

This  part,  bordered  by  tall  reeds,  towering  above  our  heads, 
was  now  dry  and  led  us  to  another  arm  of  the  river,  where 
a  fairly  strong  flow  of  water  wet  our  mules  up  to  their 
bellies.  Regaining  our  path,  we  eventually  regained  the 
Paucartambo,  which  we  crossed  by  the  means  of  a  primi- 
tive log  raft,  while  the  guide  took  the  mules  across  by  a 
bridge  a  mile  down  the  river. 

Here  among  the  clean-washed  stones  of  the  river  bed,  I 
got  my  first  view  of  the  uncivilized  Indian.  This  was  a 
male  Chuncho  native,  rifle  in  hand,  returning  from  an 
unsuccessful  hunt.  At  first  he  hid  behind  some  brushwood 
but  was  finally  induced  to  come  out.  He  was  a  well-built, 
sturdy  fellow  of  medium  height,  attired  in  a  loose  brown 
robe  of  native  manufacture.  His  skin  was  of  the  same  hue, 
and  his  head  of  thick  black  hair  was  encircled  and  held  in 
place  by  a  plain  band  of  cane.  Sunday  is  a  market  day  at 
the  Peruvian  Corporation's  camp;  it  was  then  that  I  saw 
more  of  these  Indians.  From  them  I  obtained  for  a  few 
centavos  several  of  their  chains  of  colored  seeds,  and 
monkey  teeth,  and  ultimately  procured  a  complete  out- 
fit, headband,  more  aboriginal  ornamental  finery,  parrots' 
wings  with  feathers  attached  which  serve  as  a  loin  cloth, 
bows  and  arrows.  They  are  painted  with  a  facial  adorn- 
ment of  vermilion,  with  the  occasional  addition  of  grease  to 
keep  the  flies  and  insects  off.  This  red  paint  is  found 
ready  made  in  the  seeds  of  the  achote,  a  bush  of  two  va- 
rieties which  produces  maroon-colored  pods  and  which 
grows  wild  in  the  chacra  clearings.  These  Indians  who 
live  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  settlements  are  mild, 
peaceful,  and  intelligent,  skilled  in  domestic  industries 
which  is  the  manufacture  of  bows  and  arrows.  They  are 
excellent  marksmen.  They  are  somewhat  small  in  stature 
but  well  built.  They  take  readily  to  the  water  and  learn 
to  swim,  and  are  cleaner  in  their  habits  and  customs 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    487 

than  the  cholos  and  mountain  Indians.  Filial  affection 
is  a  not  deeply  implanted  instinct  with  them,  and  among 
them  human  life  is  but  lightly  esteemed.  While  few 
serious  crimes  are  committed  among  them,  murder  is 
accounted  as  nothing.  If  a  widow  with  a  young  family 
remarries,  it  is  the  all  but  universal  practice  for  the  second 
husband  to  kill  her  children  by  a  previous  marriage.  It  is 
also  a  common  occurrence  for  a  family  to  throw  their  par- 
ents into  the  river  when,  through  the  infirmity  of  advanc- 
ing years,  life  becomes  a  burden,  either  to  themselves,  or 
to  those  on  whom  they  should  look  for  support.  The 
manager  of  the  Peruvian  Corporation's  headquarters  told 
me  that  on  one  occasion  he  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
restraining  some  Chunchos  from  throwing  into  the  Perene, 
a  man  who  was  suffering  from  a  bad  abscess,  and  who  was 
eventually  cured  by  having  it  lanced.  This  is  the  fate 
they  mete  out  to  all  members  of  their  tribe  who  are  suffer- 
ing from  diseases  which  they  consider  incurable. 

Eighty  miles  below  the  camp,  where  the  rivers  Perene 
and  Ene  unite  to  form  the  Tambo,  dwell  a  colony  of  Cam- 
pas  Indians  known  as  the  Ungoninos.  Owing  to  the 
outrages  perpetrated  upon  them  by  the  rubber  gatherers, 
they  offer  a  stout  resistance  to  the  approach  of  a  stranger, 
for  they  have  learned  not  to  trust  the  white  man.  Though 
they  are  not  cannibals,  it  is  impossible  to  enter  their 
territory,  and  in  making  the  cross-country  journey  to 
Iquitos,  it  is  necessary  to  go  by  the  way  of  Puerto  Jessup 
and  Puerto  Bermudez  if  one  wishes  to  escape  with  one's 
life.  The  Cashibos,  on  the  other  hand,  are  a  distinct  race 
of  Indians  who  inhabit  the  plains  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Pachitea.  They  are  cannibals.  These  people  wear  no 
clothes,  shave  their  heads,  and  wage  continual  warfare  on 
all  the  surrounding  tribes.  Their  cannibalistic  propen- 
sities have  been  explained  in  the  attempt  on  the  part  of 


488  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  Cashibo  to  absorb  into  his  system  quaHties  of  the  white 
man  which  he  considers  to  be  superior  to  his  own.  They, 
Hkc  other  tribes,  have  undoubtedly  been  made  worse  by  the 
shocking  treatment  they  have  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
caucheros  (rubber  gatherers) ,  some  of  whom  are  the  lawless 
descendants  of  European  immigrants  whose  ostensible  oc- 
cupation is  the  gathering  of  rubber,  but  who,  at  the  same 
time,  carry  on  a  lucrative  trade  in  the  sale  of  human  beings. 
From  what  I  have  heard,  there  prevails  a  state  of  affairs 
which  in  its  recorded  and  unrecorded  atrocities,  falls  no- 
thing short  of  the  darkest  page  of  slavery  practiced  in  the 
days  of  Leopold  II.  in  Belgian  Congo.  The  Cashibos  have 
been  a  fierce  and  warlike  tribe ;  now  they  have  learned  what 
the  crack  of  the  carbine  means  and  quickly  get  out  of  the 
way  when  they  hear  it.  They  are,  however,  very  treacher- 
ous, and  a  small  party  traveling  through  their  country 
would  run  a  great  risk  of  serving  as  a  banquet  for  them. 
They  kill  off  all  the  men  of  the  other  tribes  down  the 
Ucayali  and  sell  the  women  and  children  whenever  they 
can  get  a  market  for  them.  The  method  may  not  be 
humanitarian  but  it  is  at  least  practical  and  remunerative 
to  them. 

Coffee  does  not  grow  at  the  Peruvian  Corporation's 
headquarters  camp  but  at  a  half-dozen  different  chacras 
some  distance  from  it.  This  plan  was  adopted  to  obviate 
the  possible  exigencies  of  blight,  but  it  is  an  unfortunate 
one,  because  not  only  does  it  augment  the  difficulties  of 
transport  but  militates  against  anything  like  direct  per- 
sonal supervision.  These  haciendas,  which  produce  the 
most  excellent  coffee  and  cocoa,  are  known  as  La  Mag- 
dalena.  La  Margarita,  and  San  Juan.  These  are  the 
largest  and  most  important  as  well  as  being  the  farthest 
away.  The  difficulties  of  intercommunication  are  in- 
creased by  the  character  of  the  roads  which  in  the  rainy 


In  x\rgentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    4^9 

season  are  nearly  impassable  on  account  of  the  mud.  The 
road  to  La  Magdalena  needs  constant  clearin<^  to  prevent 
it  from  becoming  an  overgrown  track;  those  leading  to 
La  Margarita  and  to  San  Juan  are  toilsome  zigzagging 
ascents  which  after  heavy  rains  furnish  stretches  of  mire 
and  clay  knee  deep.  In  addition  to  this,  streams  cross 
the  road  in  many  places,  and  when  swollen  frequently 
wash  it  entirely  away.  All  the  haciendas  are  in  the 
Perene  division  of  the  country,  bounded  on  the  south  by 
the  main  river  and  on  the  west  separated  from  the  Chancha- 
mayo  region  by  the  Paucartambo.  From  here  eastward 
stretches  two  hundred  miles  of  hilly  land  before  the  general 
level  of  the  Brazilian  plains  is  reached,  and  the  whole  is 
covered  with  a  dense  forest,  uninhabited  excepting  by  wild 
Indians.  It  is  a  wonderful  country,  stored  with  natural 
wealth  and  capable  of  immense  development  when  it  will 
be  opened  up.  Its  climate  and  general  conditions  are, 
with  the  exception  of  malaria  and  blackwater  fever, 
healthy,  and  there  are  but  few  drawbacks  in  the  way  of 
insect  pests. 

For  four  solid  days,  after  arriving  at  the  headquarters' 
camp,  it  rained,  which  kept  us  indoors  or  near  the  shelter 
of  the  buildings.  The  fifth  day  broke  cloudless  with  the 
sun  shining,  and  as  we  had  spent  enough  time  loafing  about 
the  buildings  of  the  Peruvian  Corporation,  we  decided  to 
start  out,  and  try  to  make  the  mission  station  of  Jesus 
Maria  at  the  junction  of  the  Perene  and  the  Pangoa  Rivers 
in  three  days'  time.  From  there  we  could  hire  some 
natives  to  take  us  in  a  canoe  in  three  more  days  to  Puerto 
Raimondi,  a  settlement  on  the  Ucayali  River  at  which 
place  we  thought  it  would  be  possible  to  board  a  steam 
launch  to  take  us  down  the  stream  to  Iquitos.  We  later  on 
discovered  that  we  were  wrong  because  we  had  to  canoe 
down  the  Ucayali  as  far  as  Cumaria  a  distance  of  one 


490  Journeys  and  Experiences 

hundred  miles  below  Puerto  Raimondi.  The  trail  down 
the  Perene  lay  through  level  country,  the  mountains  hav- 
ing somewhat  receded  from  the  river.  Sometimes  a  spur 
would  extend  to  the  banks,  but  after  the  first  day  out  they 
were  for  the  most  part  several  miles  off  to  the  north. 
They  were  diminishing  m  height,  and  those  to  the  north 
were  called  the  Cerros  de  la  Sal.  The  guide  that  had 
come  with  us  from  Oroya  returned  home  from  the  Perene 
Colony,  but  the  manager  at  headquarters'  camp,  Sehor 
Villalta,  provided  us  with  horses,  and  sent  along  with  us 
as  far  as  Jesus  Maria,  a  half-breed  and  two  native  Indians. 
He  did  this  because  these  Indians  belonged  to  the  tribe 
that  lives  beyond  Jesus  Maria,  and  through  them  we  would 
be  able  to  continue  our  journey  in  safety  since  they  would 
procure  for  us  at  the  mission  station  an  escort  which  would 
see  us  through  to  the  place  where  we  were  to  board  the 
launch.  There  were  quite  a  few  small  chacras  on  the  first 
two  days'  trip  and  both  nights  we  managed  to  find  lodging 
at  one  of  them.  The  first  night  out,  I  noticed  that  the  bag 
of  lea  beans  and  most  of  the  canned  stuff  which  Sansoni 
had  bought  for  us  in  Lima  was  missing.  I  spoke  to  Prat 
about  this  because  he  had  carried  the  sack  of  beans  with 
him  on  his  mount.  He  professed  surprise  and  gave  out 
his  theory  that  the  cholo  guide  from  Oroya  had  stolen 
them  and  had  gone  back  home  with  them.  1  had  my 
doubts  about  this  because  the  Spaniard  had  been  com- 
plaining a  dozen  times  every  day  about  the  load  that  he 
had  to  lug  along  with  him.  I  said  nothing  about  it  until 
five  weeks  later  when  we  were  in  the  hotel  in  Manaos 
awaiting  a  Brazilian  Lloyd  steamer  to  take  us  to  Para. 
Prat  was  in  the  barroom  slightly  under  the  influence  of 
vermouth  and  bitters,  relating  to  Colonel  Constantino 
Nery,  governor  of  the  State  of  Amazonas,  our  adventures 
in  crossing  the  continent.     The  governor  asked  him  how 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   491 

we  had  fared  for  food,  to  which  Prat  answered  that  we 
had  done  well  considering  that  we  were  obliged  to  cat 
Indian  concoctions  that  the  ordinary  white  man  would  not 
sniff  at.  I  added  that  we  might  have  lived  better  if  Prat 
had  not  left  behind  at  the  Perene  Colony  the  sack  of  beans 
and  the  canned  goods.  The  latter  then  went  on  to  relate 
that  the  cholo  guide  from  Oroya  stole  them.  I  interrupted 
saying  that  since  the  trip  was  now  over  and  we  had  reached 
civilization  safely  that  it  did  not  matter  what  had  become 
of  them,  but  that  I  believed  Prat  had  left  them  behind 
because  he  did  not  want  to  be  bothered  with  them.  The 
Spaniard  called  for  another  vermouth  and  then  laughingly 
owned  up  that  he  had  left  them  behind  saying  that  the 
temperature  was  hot  enough  the  way  it  was  without 
being  hampered  with  any  burdens.  Nery  told  him  that 
he  was  quite  right  and  that  he  would  have  done  the  same 
had  he  been  there.  This  trick  of  leaving  our  provisions 
behind  has  always  since  appealed  to  Prat  as  a  huge  joke. 
Our  water  trip  from  Jesus  Maria  to  Para,  thence  to 
Cayenne,  Paramaribo,  Georgetown,  Bridgetown,  Willem- 
stedt,  and  to  Colon  is  full  of  enough  material  to  fill  another 
book  which  will  appear  in  the  near  future.  This  book  is 
only  meant  to  deal  with  the  southern  countries  of  South 
America  such  as  Chile,  Argentina,  and  Paraguay.  I  have 
added  to  it  a  few  chapters  not  dealing  on  the  original 
subject,  but  which  I  refrained  from  leaving  out  as  they  were 
a  series  of  consecutive  travel.  At  Jesus  Maria  we  hired  a 
canoe  which  took  us  down  the  Rio  Tambo  to  Puerto  Rai- 
mondi  which  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  that  stream 
at  its  junction  with  the  Urubamba  which  here  forms  the 
Ucayali.  Behind  us  inland  was  the  Cashobi  country  so  in 
continuing  our  canoe  trip  to  Cumaria  we  always  camped 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river.  It  took  us  one  week  of  stiff 
paddling  to  reach  Cumaria.     One  day  our  canoe  capsized, 


492  Journeys  and  Experiences 

making  us  lose  everything  we  had  with  us,  necessitating  us 
to  partake  of  such  deHcacies  as  stewed  monkey  and  parrot 
which  the  Indian  stomach  craves  for  and  which  are  nearly 
always  to  be  purchased  at  the  Indian  encampments  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Ucayali.  Cumaria  is  the  head  of  river 
navigation.  It  is  an  Indian  settlement  at  which  a  few  cau- 
cheros,  or  rubber  gatherers,  live.  Here  we  were  fortunate 
enough  to  become  passengers  of  a  gasoline  launch  which 
took  us  in  a  week  to  Contamana.  We  had  been  told  at 
Jesus  Maria  that  the  launches  were  steam  power,  but  were 
surprised  when  we  arrived  at  Cumaria  to  find  that  they  were 
gasoline  ones,  and  this  in  the  wilderness,  many  hundred 
miles  from  civilization.  At  Contamana  we  changed  into 
another  gasoline  launch.  Here  we  entered  that  part  of 
the  river  which  is  called  the  Bajo  or  Lower  Ucayali.  It 
differs  much  from  the  Alto  or  Upper  Ucayali  in  so  far  that 
the  distant  mountains  have  altogether  disappeared,  the 
stream  is  much  broader,  has  many  channels,  and  is  filled 
with  large  islands  some  of  them  being  fifty  miles  long. 
Also  settlements  are  more  plentiful,  and  at  the  docks  near 
the  hamlets  crude  rubber  in  balls  is  waiting  for  exportation. 
Two  days  before  reaching  Iquitos  the  Bajo  Ucayali  is 
joined  by  the  Maranon  and  the  Amazon  itself  is  entered. 
Icjuitos  is  a  fever-stricken  port  of  twelve  thousand 
inhabitants  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Amazon.  It  is  built  on 
the  high  banks  above  the  river  opposite  to  some  islands  of 
the  same  name,  and  not  far  above  the  confluence  of  the 
Nanay  and  the  Amazon.  Above  the  town  is  a  fair-sized 
stream,  the  Itaya,  which  makes  the  city  located  on  a 
peninsula.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  Province  of  Loreto, 
which  comprises  the  entire  Peruvian  Amazonian  lowlands, 
and  has  a  wireless  telegraph  communication  with  Puerto 
Bermudez  (which  is  only  a  three  days'  trip  from  the 
Perene  Colony).     From  Puerto  Bermudez  telegraph  wires 


In  Argentine,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   493 

run  to  Lima  via  La  Merced.  Iquitos  is  the  center  of  the 
rubber  industry  of  the  Upper  Amazon  and  is  a  booming 
town  in  spite  of  the  yellow  fever  which  is  nearly  always 
prevalent.  It  has  steamship  communication  with  Manaos, 
Para,  and  the  outside  world. 

Up  to  a  decade  ago,  if  a  man  in  Lima  had  business  in 
Iquitos,  he  was  obliged  to  take  a  steamer  to  England, 
tranship  to  Para,  and  there  tranship  again  to  Iquitos.  He 
had  the  alternative  of  going  to  Panama,  across  the  isthmus 
to  Colon  and  thence  take  a  steamer  to  Barbadoes.  From 
Barbadoes  he  would  go  to  Para,  and  thence  to  Iquitos. 
These  were  long  trips,  several  months  being  endured  in 
the  passage.  Now  Iquitos  is  reached  across  country  from 
Lima;  the  trip  takes  anywhere  from  three  weeks  to  six 
months,  according  to  which  route  the  traveler  chooses. 
It  has  been  done  in  sixteen  days,  but  from  four  to  five 
weeks  is  the  average  allowing  time  for  misconnections. 
I  believe  that  the  shortest  way  to  reach  Iquitos  from  Lima 
is  to  take  a  steamer  to  Pacasmayo,  which  is  a  day  and  a 
half  north  of  the  capital.  Thence  go  by  rail  and  horse- 
back to  Cajamarca.  From  there  go  by  horseback  via 
Chachapoyas  to  Moyobamba.  From  Moyobamba  one 
can  go  in  two  to  three  days  to  Yurimaguas  on  the  Huallaga 
River,  whence  one  can  go  by  launch  to  Iquitos  in  a  week 
and  a  half.  I  know  a  person  who  went  from  Cerro  de 
Pasco  to  Iquitos.  He  followed  the  Huallaga  to  its  mouth 
and  it  took  him  six  months.  The  common  way  of  reach- 
ing Iquitos  from  Lima  is  to  go  to  La  Merced;  thence  over- 
land through  Puerto  Bermudez  to  Puerto  Victoria  on  the 
Sampoya  River  down  which  one  descends  on  a  canoe  to 
the  Ucayali,  taking  a  chance  of  making  connection  with 
the  launch  at  Santa  Rosa  de  los  Canivos,  which  is  about 
one  third  of  the  way  downstream  between  Cumaria  and 
Contamana.     There  is  also  a  northern  route  which  takes 


494  Journeys  and  Experiences 

about  five  weeks.  The  eastbound  traveler  goes  from 
Paita  to  Piura  by  rail ;  thence  via  Huancabamba  to  Jaen 
by  horseback.  Jaen  is  a  day's  stage  from  the  Maranon 
which  one  must  descend  by  canoe. 

In  the  night  after  the  day  on  which  the  steamer  left 
Iquitos,  the  Napo  River  was  passed.  It  flows  into  the 
Amazon  from  a  northwesterly  direction.  One  of  its 
tributaries  is  the  Curaray  which  rises  in  the  Andes  of 
Ecuador.  Along  its  course  live  a  tribe  of  head-hunting 
Indians.  These  savages  after  they  capture  a  white  man 
or  an  Indian  of  another  tribe,  behead  them.  They  boil 
the  head  in  a  concoction  which  loosens  the  bones.  These 
they  take  out  and  fill  the  cavity  with  hot  stones.  By 
some  process  of  their  own,  they  shrink  the  head  until  it 
becomes  no  larger  than  a  large  orange,  yet  retaining  the 
features  that  the  victim  possessed  during  life.  These 
they  offer  for  sale,  and  are  to  be  purchased  in  the  curiosity 
shops  of  Lima  and  Guayaquil  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and 
even  in  Para  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ahiazon.  From  the 
savage  to  the  curiosity  shop  proprietor  they  pass  through 
many  hands  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  arrive  at  the  source 
of  the  murder.  A  certain  Swede  once  left  Guayaquil  for 
the  interior  on  an  exploring  expedition.  A  year  afterwards 
a  head  was  purchased  in  that  city  which  was  found  to  be 
that  of  the  Scandinavian.  Since  he  was  never  heard  of 
after  he  crossed  the  Cordillera,  it  is  assumed  that  his  party 
was  beset  by  savages  and  he  was  murdered,  his  skull 
boiled  down,  and  hawked  about  until  it  reached  the  hands 
of  a  Guayaquil  dealer.  The  September,  1918,  number  of 
the  South  American  Magazine  published  in  New  York, 
has  an  article  which  says  that  there  is  believed  to  be  a 
head  factory  in  Guayaquil.  The  dealer  in  this  sketch  is 
undoubtedly  in  league  with  body-snatchers  who  supply 
him  with  corpses,  which  he  beheads  and  boils  down,  hav- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    495 

ing  obtained  the  recipe  from  the  Indians.  These  heads 
he  places  on  sale.  One  of  his  relics  was  the  head  of  an 
employee  of  the  Quito-Guayaquil  Railroad  who  had  died 
the  previous  year  of  yellow  fever  in  Guayaquil  and  was 
supposed  to  have  been  given  a  decent  funeral.  This 
horrid  trick  of  the  Indians  cannot  be  eradicated  until  the 
law  puts  a  stop  to  the  purchase  of  these  heads.  By 
punishing  the  dealers  and  the  middle-men,  the  Indians 
will  cease  to  find  a  market  for  these  gruesome  souvenirs. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BUSINESS      PROSPECTS      IN     ARGENTINA,      PARAGUAY,     AND 

CHILE 

The  object  of  these  travels  was  not  to  see  the  country 
dealt  with  as  much  as  it  was  to  study  the  business  condi- 
tions and  future  possibilities  in  those  lines  in  Chile,  Argen- 
tina, and  Paraguay. 

Although  there  are  undoubtedly  great  opportunities  at 
the  present  time  and  in  the  future  to  enter  into  busi- 
ness enterprises  in  the  northern  republics  of  South  America, 
which  as  yet,  only  have  their  surface  towards  develop- 
ment, the  republics  farther  south  which  are  partially 
developed,  offer  better  inducements  owing  to  their  forms  of 
government,  the  character  of  the  races  who  inhabit  them, 
and  the  incentives  which  are  offered  to  the  foreigner  who 
wishes  to  start  a  new  industry.  With  the  exception  of 
Argentina  and  Uruguay  there  is  practically  no  manu- 
facturing done  on  a  large  scale,  such  as  we  are  accustomed 
to  see  on  all  sides  in  the  United  States  and  in  Europe. 
There  are  many  small  industries  employing trom  three  to 
twenty  men,  providing  the  employers  with  not  much  more 
than  a  good  living,  and  the  employees  with  a  mere  sub- 
sistence, but  there  are  no  really  large  ones  which  are  a 
credit  to  their  country. 

To  start  anything  in  any  of  these  countries,  the  matter 
of  prime  importance  is  for  the  proprietor  and  his  foreign 

496 


Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile       497 

employees  to  be  able  to  converse  fluently,  read,  and  write 
in  Spanish.  Next  he  should  understand  the  character  of 
the  Latin  races  which  is  not  at  all  easy  if  he  is  prejudiced. 
Their  ways  of  doing  business  are  totally  different  from  ours. 
Also  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  money  in  some  of  these 
republics,  the  new  firm  should  have  plenty  of  ready  cap- 
ital, and  should  never  organize  with  a  limited  amount,  the 
outstanding  balance  being  made  up  of  notes.  To  sell  pre- 
ferred stock  to  the  natives  would  be  nearly  impossible, 
because  no  Latin  would  buy  any  unless  he  is  "shown" 
first,  and  this  "showing"  would  have  to  cover  a  period  of  a 
great  many  years,  so  susceptible  are  they  of  making  invest- 
ments. The  company  should  be  entirely  capitalized  with 
the  cash  paid  in  before  the  first  stroke  of  business  is  begun. 
Many  firms  in  South  America  have  come  to  grief  by  being 
only  partially  capitalized,  and  their  example  is  always 
before  the  native  mind.  Competiting  trusts  and  grafting 
politicians  should  be  reckoned  with.  Many  large  firms 
give  as  a  present  to  the  governor  of  a  province,  or  to  the 
deputy  in  congress,  a  few  shares  of  their  stock.  These 
men  in  turn  make  laws  which  benefit  their  company,  and 
make  it  impossible  for  competitors  to  transact  a  legitimate 
business. 

As  Argentina  offers  less  opportunities  in  the  manu- 
facturing line  than  its  neighboring  sister  republics,  it  is 
best  to  deal  with  it  first.  To  begin  with,  the  country  is 
a  great  expanse  of  land,  for  the  most  part  in  appearance  a 
level  plain,  gradually  rising  as  one  travels  westward. 
This  rise  is  but  two  feet  to  the  mile  and  is  imperceptible. 
This  plain  is  traversed  by  quite  a  few  rivers,  but  so 
slowly  does  the  land  rise,  that  these  streams  are  nothing 
more  than  sluggish  watercourses,  muddy,  and  affording 
no  drainage.  They  often  overflow  their  banks,  forming 
muddy  ponds  and  lakes  a  few  inches  deep.     On  account  of 


498  Journeys  and  Experiences 

the  slowness  of  their  flow  they  are  valueless  for  waterpower. 
This  part  of  the  country  is  therefore  not  adaptable  for 
factories;  its  sole  use  is  for  the  growing  of  grain  and  stock- 
raising.  Although  this  is  one  of  the  greatest  wheat  belts 
in  the  world,  it  has  no  flour  mills,  and  but  few  grain  ele- 
vators. The  wheat  is  shipped  a  long  distance  by  rail  to 
the  seaport  towns,  whence  it  is  exported  to  Europe.  That 
which  is  needed  for  local  consumption  is  ground  into  flour 
in  the  seaports  which  have  mills;  much  of  it  is  shipped  back 
over  the  same  road  that  it  went  out  on  to  be  distributed 
over  the  sections  where  the  grain  was  grown.  The  towns 
here  are  small  and  far  apart.  Their  only  excuse  for  an 
existence  is  that  they  are  the  distributing  points  for  an 
agricultural  section  and  to  them  the  necessities  of  life  are 
shipped  which  eventually  find  their  way  to  the  large  estan- 
cias  as  the  farms  are  called.  To  these  towns  grain  is  hauled 
to  be  shipped  out  by  the  railroad.  Stores  spring  up,  a 
hotel  or  two  is  built,  a  few  professional  men  such  as  doc- 
tors and  lawyers  establish  themselves,  but  nobody  ever 
thinks  of  starting  a  factory.  It  would  be  folly  to  do  so, 
because  there  is  no  future  besides  agriculture  and  stock. 
There  is  no  fuel,  no  iron,  and  no  waterpower. 

West  of  the  great  Argentine  plain  we  reach  the  moun- 
tains. The  Andes  here  are  the  highest  peaks  in  all  America. 
They  rise  abruptly  from  the  plain  like  a  barrier  and  have  no 
foothills.  There  are  but  few  rivers  in  this  section,  and 
those  which  do  exist  are  swiftly  flowing,  turbulent  streams. 
They  can  furnish  waterpower  and  some  of  them  do  for 
electricity.  Yet  there  are  no  factories.  It  is  again  the 
question  of  the  scarcity  of  fuel.  So  poor  is  Argentina  in 
her  fuel  supply  that  most  of  the  locomotives  burn  wood. 
The  coal  used  for  those  which  run  in  the  eastern  provinces 
is  imported  from  Europe  and  the  United  States.  Oil 
fields  have   been   opened  in   Patagonia   with   a   view  of 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    499 

decreasing  the  price  of  fuel,  but  as  yet  they  are  in  the 
embryo  stage.  It  is  not  known  whether  they  will  ever  be 
made  an  economic  asset,  because  the  quality  of  the  oil  is 
said  to  be  poor.  The  country  at  the  foot  of  the  Andes 
near  the  latitudinal  center  of  Argentina  which  is  watered 
by  the  mountain  streams  is  called  the  Zona  del  Riego.  It 
is  here  that  are  located  the  extensive  vineyards  and  fruit 
orchards.  There  are  three  separate  belts  each  of  which  is 
fed  by  its  own  river.  The  two  southernmost  of  these  are 
in  the  Province  of  Mendoza,  at  San  Rafael  and  Mendoza 
respectively,  while  the  northern  one,  is  at  San  Juan  in  the 
province  of  the  same  name.  Factories  which  do  not 
require  an  excessive  amount  of  fuel  could  be  started,  but 
nobody  has  ever  turned  over  their  hands  in  that  direction 
excepting  in  fruit-canning  plants,  which  have  not  paid  well. 
In  the  city  of  Mendoza  a  flour  mill  could  be  made  to 
pay.  There  are  immense  flour  mills  in  Argentina,  but 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  ones  of  no  importance 
and  the  large  one  of  the  Minetti  Brothers  at  Cordoba,  all 
are  located  on  the  seaboard.  The  Molino  del  Rio  de  la 
Plata  at  Buenos  Aires  has  a  capital  of  $14,945,000.  It  is 
the  largest  in  South  America.  Nearly  as  large  are  two 
flour  mills  in  Bahia  Blanca;  Rosario  also  has  a  couple  of 
large  mills.  For  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  a  flour  mill 
could  be  established  at  Mendoza,  which  the  manager 
of  the  Molino  del  Rio  de  la  Plata,  told  me  would  pay  forty 
per  cent,  on  the  capital  from  the  start,  and  which  would  be 
dependent  on  no  other  trade  than  Lhat  of  the  city  of 
Mendoza.  At  San  Juan,  one  hundred  miles  north  of 
Mendoza,  there  is  a  small  flour  mill  which  is  a  lucrative 
investment.  The  beauty  of  having  a  mill  in  Mendoza  is 
the  fact  that  the  wheat  grown  there,  although  inferior  to 
that  which  is  grown  on  the  plains  on  account  of  its  having 
to  be  irrigated,  runs  forty  bushels  to  the  acre  and  would  be 


ooo  Journeys  and  Experiences 

in  close  proximity  to  the  mill,  thereby  saving  freight. 
People  in  the  Province  of  Mendoza  who  grow  wheat  ship 
their  product  to  Buenos  Aires  where  it  is  ground.  The 
flour  is  then  shipped  back  seven  hundred  miles  to  Mendoza 
where  it  sells  for  a  high  price,  the  freight  rate  being  enor- 
mous. Tucuman  is  a  city  of  over  one  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants  but  has  no  flour  mill  worthy  of  the  name. 
One  would  pay  in  that  city  but  it  would  require  much  more 
capital  both  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  city  and  its 
distance  from  the  wheat  fields.  Mercedes,  Bragado,  Olavar- 
ria,  Junin,  and  many  other  towns  of  their  size  (twenty  thou- 
sand population  and  upwards)  could  all  support  flour  mills. 
They  have  none  and  are  in  the  heart  of  the  grain  belt. 
Wood  would  have  to  be  used  for  fuel  which  would  be 
expensive,  but  the  profits  derived  from  the  flour  would  off- 
set it.  Pergamino  is  a  growing  town  in  the  grain  belt 
between  Buenos  Aires  and  Rosario,  with  good  railroad 
facilities,  yet  it  has  not  a  single  manufacturing  enterprise. 
It  has  a  population  of  forty-three  thousand  inhabitants. 
Personally  I  think  that  the  flour  mill  proposition  would  be 
the  best  paying  enterprise  in  Argentina.  It  would  pay  at 
all  times,  war  or  no  war. 

One  of  the  leading  manufacturing  industries  in  Argen- 
tina is  that  of  the  beef -canning  factories,  here  called  sala- 
derias.  This  is  the  chief  industry  of  Uruguay,  and  the 
second  in  importance  in  Paraguay,  and  the  state  of  Matto 
Grosso,  Brazil.  These  saladerias  not  only  can  beef,  but 
they  manufacture  beef  extract,  tallow,  and  the  by-products 
of  the  hides  and  fat.  They  likewise  ship  cold-storage 
beef  to  Europe  and  even  to  the  United  States.  The  River 
Plate  basin  is  where  these  factories  are  situated,  and  in  no 
other  parts  of  South  America  are  they  to  be  found.  Ar- 
mour &  Company,  and  Swift  have  large  ones  at  La  Plata. 
At  Fray  Bentos,  in  Uruguay,  on  the  Uruguay  River  a 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    501 

short  distance  above  where  it  flows  into  the  River  Plate  is 
the  great  estabHshment  and  headquarters  of  the  Liebig 
Company,  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  South  America  and 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  world.  There  are  beef-canning 
plants  at  Montevideo,  at  Colon,  Argentina,  and  at  many 
of  the  ports  on  the  Uruguay,  Parang,  and  Paraguay 
Rivers.  These  plants  require  much  capital,  especially 
in  Argentina,  because  here  the  river  is  at  quite  a  distance 
from  the  stock  country,  necessitating  the  shipment  of 
cattle  by  rail.  It  would  be  prohibitory  as  far  as  expense 
goes  to  establish  a  beef -canning  enterprise  inland ;  by  hav- 
ing them  at  the  seaports,  ocean-going  freighters  can  anchor 
at  the  docks  and  be  loaded  there.  This  is  true  about  many 
of  the  river  ports  owing  to  the  depth  of  the  water  which 
permits  ocean  steamers  to  reach  them.  None  of  the 
Argentina  and  Uruguayan  saladerias  are  far  enough  up  the 
rivers  to  be  beyond  ocean  navigation.  The  Uruguayan 
plants  have  it  on  those  of  Argentina,  because  the  stock 
country  of  the  former  republic  lies  directly  behind  the 
saladerias  and  is  contingent  to  the  river.  In  Argentina 
the  stock  have  to  be  transported  to  the  seaboard  upwards 
of  one  hundred  miles,  and  in  most  cases  from  two  to  four 
hundred  miles. 

Regarding  stock-raising,  it  is  done  in  Argentina  on  a 
large  scale.  The  large  estancias  are  owned  by  people  who 
have  inherited  their  lands  through  several  generations  and 
have  in  the  past  decades  accumulated  great  fortunes 
which  have  been  sufficient  to  well  stock  their  estates  with 
cattle,  sheep,  and  other  live  stock.  The  stock  roam  the 
prairies  the  year  around,  are  not  winter  fed,  and  require 
but  little  care.  As  many  of  these  estancias  are  forty 
miles  square,  the  only  expense  incurred  are  the  wages  of 
the  herders.  Land  is  held  high  in  Argentina,  from  $15  an 
acre  upwards  in  the  stock  country,  the  average  being  $35 


502  Journeys  and  Experiences 

an  acre.  It  would  require  much  capital  to  buy  enough  of  it 
for  a  fair-sized  ranch.  Fifteen  hundred  acres  would  cost 
$45,000.  If  he  put  1000  head  of  stock  on  it,  which  would 
be  a  small  ranch,  his  outlay  for  the  investment  would  be 
about  §90,000.  A  drought  would  be  likely  to  occur  and  he 
would  be  up  against  it.  The  man,  however,  who  has  a 
50,000-acre  ranch  could  make  money.  He  could  have 
10,000  head  of  cattle  and  if  there  was  a  drought  he  could 
keep  moving  them  about.     Twenty  thousand  acres  is  but 


Town 

Ranch 

Acres 

Horses 

Sheep 

Cattle 

Olavarria 

Santo  Domingo 
La  Victoria 
San  Antonio 

12,500 

18,375 
12,500 

1,000 

1,700 

700 

3,000 

17,000 

2,500 

700 
6,000 
1,500 

Coronel  vSuarez 

La  Curamalan 
San  Jose 

43,750 
25,000 

4,000 
400 

8,000 
10,000 

5,000 
300 

General  La  Madrid 

La  Colina 
El  Huascar 
LaFe 

80,000 
31,250 
31,250 

400 
200 
300 

60,000 
5,000 
6,000 

20,000 

3,000 

15,000 

Saavedra 

La  Turigueta 
La  Landade 

30,000 
12,500 

5,000 
2,000 

Dorrego 

Tres  de  Febrero 
Las  Cortaderas 
La  Sirena 

37,500 
52,500 
50,000 

16,000 
13,500 
20,000 

3,000 
15,000 
16,000 

Lobos 

La  Florida 
La  Morada 

3,750 
18,750 

3,000 
7,000 

1,000 
3,000 

25  de  Mayo 

Huetel 
vSanta  Clara 

162,500 
100,000 

2,000 
1,000 

10,000 
10,000 

15,000 
1,500 

Bolivar 

La  Carmelita 
La  Florida 
Miramar 
El  Cardon 
Bella  Vista 

87,500 
43,750 
25,000 
18,7.50 
12,500 

80 

1,000 

150 

250 

300 

17,000 

12,000 

2,000 

7,000 

5,000 

14,000 

5,000 

600 

3,000 

2,000 

Junin 

La  Pastoril 

El  Cisne 

Las  Dos  Marias 

37,500 

75,000 

6,250 

15,000 

25,000 

4,000 

In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    503 

a  medium-sized  ranch  in  Argentina  and  Uruguay.  It  is 
not  uncommon  for  a,  man  to  have  100,000  acres,  while  in 
Patagonia  there  are  ranches  of  1,000,000  acres.  Stock- 
raising  is  the  most  important  industry  in  Argentina,  but 
the  men  who  have  made  a  success  of  it  and  those  at  present 
engaged  in  it,  started  this  business  years  ago.  Excepting 
in  the  Province  of  Salta,  it  is  well  for  a  company  or  an 
individual  to  keep  out  of  this  line  of  business  unless  he  has 
enough  money  to  buy  a  large  tract  of  land.  The  figures 
here  are  the  average  for  estancias  contiguous  to  the 
average  plains  towns. 

The  Province  of  Salta  is  about  one  thousand  miles  from 
Buenos  Aires  and  the  seaport  towns.  On  account  of  its 
distance  and  nature  of  its  land  it  has  nothing  in  common 
with  the  provinces  farther  south.  It  is  a  hilly  and  moun- 
tainous region  bordering  on  the  tropics  abounding  in  for- 
ests which  have  a  thick  matting  of  grasses.  The  cattle 
are  large  and  lean,  and  although  their  beef  is  rather  tough, 
there  is  plenty  of  it,  and  there  is  but  little  shrinkage  in 
transportation.  The  market  for  this  stock  is  the  nitrate 
region  of  Chile.  The  cattle  are  driven  across  the  Andes 
and  lose  but  little  weight  on  the  way.  In  Antofagasta  they 
bring  a  good  price.  There  are  no  large  ranches  in  the  pro- 
vince and  there  is  not  much  capital.  Here  a  man  with 
moderate  means  could  raise  stock  at  a  profit,  if  he  dealt 
only  with  the  Chilean  market.  If  he  shipped  them  to  the 
saladerias  in  the  Province  of  Buenos  Aires  he  would  lose 
money  on  account  of  the  freight. 

An  embryo  industry  in  Argentina  is  that  of  tannin  or 
tannic  acid,  used  for  dyeing  and  tanning.  The  northern 
part  of  the  provinces  of  Santiago  del  Estero  and  Santa  Fe, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  territories  of  Formosa  and 
the  Chaco,  are  covered  with  a  forest  of  small  trees,  named 
quebracho.     They  are  too  small  for  saw  logs,  their  wood  is 


504  Journeys  and  Experiences 

hard  and  is  used  for  fuel  on  the  railroads,  and  they  have 
a  reddish  bark.  This  bark  before  the  European  War  was 
shipped  to  Germany  in  great  quantities  where  its  extract 
was  used  in  dye  stuffs.  Unfortunately  but  little  of  it  was 
exported  to  other  countries.  Some  tannin  factories  were 
inaugurated  in  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe,  but  those  con- 
trolled by  foreign  capital  went  haywire.  This  was  due 
mainly  to  grafting  provincial  officials  who  put  these  com- 
panies out  of  commission  by  their  annoyances.  A  tannin 
factory  would  pay  in  Argentina  if  the  government  would 
give  it  protection.  It  is  a  deplorable  fact  that  in  many  new 
industries  in  Argentina,  they  are  induced  to  locate  there. 
Once  established,  the  manufacturer  is  subjected  to  a  bur- 
dening taxation  from  the  federal  government,  the  province, 
and  the  district.  There  is  a  continuous  drain  of  contribu- 
tions which  have  to  be  handed  to  congressmen,  and  their 
henchmen ;  titles  are  found  to  be  imperfect ;  law  suits  are 
started ;  the  outcome  is  that  the  company  is  apt  to  go  into 
insolvency.  This  once  happened  to  a  large  tannin  factory 
that  started  in  the  Province  of  Santa  Fe.  A  Buenos  Aires 
bank  loaned  them  money ;  but  the  owners  ran  up  against  so 
many  snags  when  they  started  to  operate,  that  they  were 
unable  to  pay  their  indebtedness  and  the  bank  had  to  fore- 
close. It  would  be  a  different  story  if  the  company  was 
Argentine  owned.  The  Argentino  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest  looks  upon  the  North  American  as  a  person  to  exploit 
from.  They  welcome  him  mainly  to  relieve  him  of  his 
money.  When  we  talk  about  grafting  in  our  American  cities 
we  do  not  know  what  grafting  is;  one  must  come  to  Latin 
America  to  get  the  interpretation .  George  W.  Crichfield  in 
his  two  volumes,  American  Supremacy  (Brentano's  1908), 
gives  the  true  version.  He  says  that  our  best  diplomats 
are  to  the  South  American  ones  in  comparison  as  what 
jackasses  are  to  foxes.     This  is  particularly  true  about 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    505 

Argentina  and  could  apply  to  the  grafting  officials  as  well. 
Although  under  proper  government  protection,  a  tannin 
factory  in  Argentina  would  pay,  it  would  be  useless  to  wait 
for  that  protection  to  come,  and  the  manufacturer  would  be 
far  better  off  if  he  would  start  his  factory  in  poor,  be- 
nighted Paraguay  where  the  grafting  would  be  much  less 
than  in  Argentina. 

In  Argentina  there  is  no  such  thing  as  prohibition  and 
local  option,  and  there  probably  never  will  be.  Such  is- 
sues are  not  in  common  with  the  Latin  make-up,  and  the 
long-haired  stump  orators  and  hypocrites  who  advocate 
this  question  in  the  United  States  for  their  own  personal 
enrichment,  would  undoubtedly  land  in  insane  asylums 
if  they  started  this  propaganda  anywhere  in  South  Amer- 
ica. One  might  think  it  strange  that  there  is  no  whiskey 
distillery  there,  yet  such  is  the  fact,  and  I  do  not  know  of 
any  in  entire  South  America.  Whiskey  is  not  consumed 
there  in  anywhere  near  the  quantity  that  it  is  consumed 
in  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  yet  enough  is 
indulged  in  by  the  higher  stratum  of  society  who  ape  the 
North  Americans  and  the  British  to  warrant  the  establish- 
ment of  one.  There  is  plenty  of  grain  and  there  is  no  com- 
petition. There  are  several  liqueur  factories  which  seem  to 
pay,  one  of  which  at  Buenos  Aires  puts  out  a  cordial  named 
Aperital,  which  has  a  great  sale. 

There  are  thirteen  breweries  in  the  republic,  but  lest  a 
person  should  think  of  starting  another  one,  he  should 
forget  the  idea  at  the  same  time  that  he  conceives  it. 
There  is  a  brewery  trust  heavily  capitalized,  composed  of 
Argentine  and  British  stockholders.  Much  of  this  stock  is 
in  the  hands  of  senators  and  congressmen,  who  see  to  it 
that  laws  are  made  which  protect  them  and  work  to  the 
detriment  of  their  competitors.  The  Argentine  Brewing 
Company  at  Quilmes,  a  suburb  of  Buenos  Aires,  heads 


5o6  Journeys  and  Experiences 

this  trust,  the  other  members  of  which  are  the  Bieckert 
Brewing  Company  at  Llavallol,  another  suburb  of  Buenos 
Aires,  the  Palermo  Brewery  at  Buenos  Aires,  the  San 
Carlos  Brewery  at  San  Carlos,  and  the  Del  Norte  Brewery 
at  Tucuman.  Those  not  belonging  to  the  trust  are  the 
Cordoba  Brewing  Company  at  Cordoba,  the  Rio  Segundo 
Brewing  Company  with  breweries  both  at  Cordoba  and  at 
Rio  Segundo,  the  Ahrens  Brewery  at  Cordoba,  the  Santa 
Fe  Brewing  Company  at  Santa  Fe,  the  Schlau  and  the 
Germania  Brewery  at  Rosario,  and  the  Correntino  Brew- 
ery at  Corrientes.  Both  the  Ahrens  and  the  Correntino 
breweries  are  small  establishments  and  only  cater  to  local 
and  family  trade  and  therefore  have  not  fell  foul  of  the 
trust. 

Since  much  beer  is  drunk  in  Argentina  I  have  often 
wondered  why  there  were  no  more  breweries.  I  wondered 
why  Mendoza,  Salta,  Bahia  Blanca,  Mercedes,  Pergam- 
ino,  Parana,  Concordia,  and  other  towns  did  not  have  any. 
I  mentioned  this  fact  to  the  mayor  of  Salta.  "It  would 
not  pay,"  said  he.  "An  old  German  named  Glueck  once 
had  a  brewery  in  this  town,  whose  product  took  well 
with  the  public.  His  was  a  small  brewery  with  limited 
capital.  The  Quilmes  Company,  through  their  represent- 
atives in  congress,  had  taxes  formulated  so  that  only  those 
breweries  with  much  capital  could  stand  up  under  them. 
Glueck  had  to  go  out  of  business.  The  trust  then  built  the 
J3cl  Norte  Brewery  in  Tucuman  which  is  so  large  that  if  all 
the  other  breweries  in  Argentina  should  shut  down,  it 
could  supply  the  whole  republic  with  beer.  The  trust 
also  bought  a  piece  of  property  in  Salta  and  threaten  if 
another  brewery  starts  up  in  this  city  to  put  up  one  that 
will  swamp  it.  The  trust  has  millions  of  pesos  capital,  so 
what  can  one  do?" 

While  in  Cordoba  I  was  a  guest  of  Mr.  Douglas,  presi- 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    507 

dent  of  the  Rio  Segundo  Brewing  Company.  This  com- 
pany started  a  brewery  on  a  small  scale  at  the  town  of  Rio 
Segundo,  lience  the  name.  The  water  used  for  the  manu- 
facture of  its  beer  came  from  an  artesian  well,  and  the 
product  was  so  superior  to  that  of  the  other  breweries  that 
it  was  necessary  to  build  another  brewery,  which  was  done 
at  Cordoba,  twenty-three  miles  away.  The  water  in  this  is 
also  artesian.  The  out])ut  of  the  Rio  Segundo  Brewery  at 
Cordoba  is  only  sixty  thousand  barrels  a  year,  but  it  is 
taxed  more  than  those  whose  output  is  six  hundred  thou- 
sand barrels  in  the  United  States.  It  has  kept  its  head 
above  water  on  account  of  the  quality  of  the  beer.  A 
former  brewmaster  of  this  company  started  a  small  brew- 
ery in  Corrientes,  the  Correntino,  but  this  like  that  of 
Ahrens  at  Cordoba  have  not  been  molested  by  the  trust 
because  they  are  too  small  to  interfere  with  the  business  of 
the  Quilmes  Company.  With  the  exception  of  the  output 
of  the  Rio  Segundo  breweries,  all  the  Argentine  beer  is  vile 
and  not  fit  to  drink.  Hops  are  difficult  to  get,  and  in- 
jurious chemicals  are  used  for  its  preservation. 

Two  automobile  factories  have  been  started  in  Buenos 
Aires  but  their  existence  was  of  but  a  short  duration. 
The  parts  were  shipped  there  to  be  assembled,  but  the 
stockholders  thought  that  it  would  be  more  lucrative  if 
they  manufactured  their  own  parts.  Since  there  is  no 
iron  in  the  republic,  it  was  found  that  its  importation  was 
too  expensive  to  allow  the  companies  to  ship  it  in,  there- 
fore they  went  out  of  business. 

Hides  are  not  expensive.  There  are  many  small  so- 
called  shoe  factories  which  in  reality  are  but  shops;  the 
shoes  manufactured  in  them  are  good  and  cheap,  and  are 
made  by  hand.  They  likewise  have  class,  and  a  shoeman 
from  Toronto  told  me  that  the  shoes  manufactured  there 
were  superior  to  ours,   and  the  United  States  has  the 


5oS  Journeys  and  Experiences 

reputation  of  making  the  best  shoes  in  the  world.  This 
Canadian  said  that  he  could  see  no  reason  why  a  fair-sized 
shoe  factory  w^ould  not  pay  in  Buenos  Aires  and  was  very 
optimistic  about  the  idea. 

In  the  Province  of  Tucuman  there  are  considerable  sugar 
factories,  some  of  them  large  ones.  The  cane  is  inferior 
to  that  of  Cuba  and  the  West  Indies;  most  of  the  available 
land  for  its  growing  is  taken  up,  and  the  sugar  market 
is  often  poor.  None  of  the  sugar  is  refined  in  the  district 
where  it  grows,  there  being  only  one  refinery  in  Argentina 
and  that  is  at  Rosario.  The  product  is  shipped  to  Eng- 
land and  France  to  be  refined.  It  is  doubtful  if  another 
mill  would  pay,  but  another  refinery  and  that  in  the  city  of 
Tucuman  might  be  profitable.  There  are  no  beet-sugar 
factories,  but  much  of  the  land,  especially  that  in  Entre 
Rios  and  Corrientes,  is  adaptable  for  beet  culture,  so  there 
is  no  reason  why  an  establishment  of  that  kind  could  not 
be  made  to  pay. 

Although  Argentina  has  a  great  network  of  railways 
running  throughout  the  republic  so  that  practically  no 
place  of  any  importance  is  in  lack  of  transportation  fa- 
cilities, yet  interurban  street-car  lines  are  nonexistent. 
The  only  one  in  operation  is  that  which  runs  between 
Buenos  Aires  and  Quilmes,  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles. 
One  is  being  built  to  Tigre,  twenty-two  miles  from  Buenos 
Aires,  but  is  not  yet  in  operation.  There  should  be  electric 
lines  between  Buenos  Aires  and  La  Plata,  Buenos  Aires 
and  Rosario,  either  via  San  Nicolas  or  Pergamino,  Buenos 
Aires  and  Mercedes,  Bahia  Blanca  and  Puerto  Belgrano, 
Mendoza  and  San  Rafael,  Tucuman  and  Tafi  Viejo,  and 
also  a  network  of  lines  of  which  Tucuman  should  be  the 
center  of  the  hub. 

There  are  quite  a  few  cigarette  and  a  few  cigar  factories. 
The  cigarettes  manufactured  are  vile,  likewise  the  cigars. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    5^9 

This  trade  is  in  the  hands  of  Turks,  vSpaniards,  and  Itahans, 
and  the  tobacco  used  is  grown  in  Brazil.  There  are  good 
tobacco  lands  in  the  provinces  of  Salta,  Jujuy,  Corrientes, 
and  in  the  Territory  of  Misiones,  but  none  is  grown  except- 
ing in  gardens  from  which  the  owner  makes  cigars  for  his 
own  personal  use.  The  price  paid  for  cigars  is  exorbi- 
tant and  a  good  live  factory  well  capitalized  might  pay. 
Nobody  smokes  a  pipe  nor  chews  tobacco,  therefore  a 
tobacco  factory  would  be  unsuitable. 

There  is  no  field  in  the  newspaper  or  periodical  line  in  all 
South  America.  This  and  the  publishing  business  is  over- 
done. Some  towns  of  ten  thousand  people  have  four  or 
five  daily  papers.  Every  politician  that  can  afiford  it  is  the 
proprietor  of  his  own  newspaper,  in  whose  columns  he 
attacks  everybody  who  does  not  hold  his  own  political 
views.  These  newspapers  often  run  foul  of  the  govern- 
ment and  wind  up  by  having  their  publications  sup- 
pressed and  the  editor  thrown  in  jail. 

Paraguay,  on  account  of  its  small  population  and 
scarcity  of  money,  offers  a  much  less  diversified  variety  for 
future  enterprises  than  does  Argentina.  The  leading 
industry  is  the  culture  of  yerba  mate,  and  the  exportation 
of  its  leaves.  This  republic  lies  close  to  the  tropics  and  is 
covered  with  a  dense  vegetation.  In  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  country  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Alto 
Parana  River,  there  grows  in  its  native  state  the  plant 
yerba  mate,  from  whose  leaves  from  time  immemorial  the 
Indians  brewed  a  tea.  The  leaves  are  first  dried,  and  then 
steeped  in  a  kettle  or  pot.  Calabash  gourds  grow  wild  in 
abundance.  These  are  dried,  the  top  is  cut  off,  and  the 
insides  scooped  out.  The  hot  tea  is  poured  into  these 
gourds  which  every  individual  possesses,  and  the  infusion 
is  sucked  from  them  by  means  of  straws  and  reeds,  by  the 
poorer  classes,  and  by  bombillas  by  the  upper  and  middle 


5IO  Journeys  and  Experiences 

classes.  A  bombilla  is  a  metal  tube  with  a  small  covered 
spoonlike  head  which  is  perforated  with  small  holes. 
This  mate  drinking  habit,  which  is  considered  beneficial,  is 
indulged  in  universally  by  everybody  in  Paraguay,  Argen- 
tina, Uruguay,  and  southern  Brazil.  There  are  several 
different  varieties  of  yerba  mate,  and  it  has  been  found 
that  that  which  is  cultivated  is  better  than  that  which 
grows  wild.  Hence  there  are  enormous  plantations  for  its 
culture  which  are  called  yerbales.  Large  companies  have 
been  formed  for  its  production  and  exportation,  that  of 
Domingo  Barthe  being  the  best  known.  His  brand  is 
named  Asuncion.  The  next  best-known  firm  is  the 
Industriel  Paraguaya.  Both  are  capitalized  heavily  and 
have  their  main  offices  in  Asuncion  and  Villa  Encarnacion 
with  branch  offices  throughout  Argentina.  Barthe  is  a 
very  wealthy  man ;  he  was  formerly  a  French  adventurer 
who  struck  it  rich  through  none  too  scrupulous  means. 
His  latest  trick  was  to  sell  a  lot  of  his  mate  under  the  trade- 
mark of  the  Industriel  Paraguaya.  This  was  done  at 
Rosario.  He  was  tried  there  and  found  guilty.  He  was 
sentenced  to  one  year  in  jail  and  to  pa}'  a  fine  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  Before  they  could  get  him,  he  got  into 
Paraguay  where  he  is  immune  from  the  Argentine  law. 
He  owns  a  fleet  of  steamers  plying  between  Montevideo 
and  Asuncion  which  touch  at  Argentine  ports.  On  these 
he  is  safe  since  his  steamship  line  is  not  incorporated 
in  Argentina.  Nevertheless  Barthe  has  helped  advance 
progress  and  industry  in  Argentina  and  this  should  not 
have  been  overlooked  when  sentence  was  pronounced 
upon  him.  At  that  time  he  was  about  to  build  a  million- 
dollar  hotel  at  Posadas.  Although  what  he  did  was  unprin- 
cipled, his  sentence  was  twenty-fold  too  severe,  and  shows 
plainly  that  the  Argentine  bloodsuckers  are  out  to  exploit 
the  foreigners  for  every  cent  they  can  get  out  of  them. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    511 

There  are  in  Paraguay  boundless  tracks  of  virgin  soil 
suitable  for  yerbales.  It  requires  but  little  expense  to 
work  them  and  there  is  ari  unlimited  market  for  Para- 
guayan tea.  It  is  said  that  the  Argentine  army  is  going  to 
adopt  yerba  mate  to  be  distributed  among  the  soldiers  for 
their  daily  rations.  This  tea-drinking  craze  among  the 
natives  is  uncanny.  To  many  of  them  it  is  life;  the 
foreigner,  however,  rarely  acquires  the  habit,  although  he 
partakes  of  it  for  the  sake  of  sociability  while  in  Paraguay. 

Next  in  line  among  Paraguay's  industries  is  the  salade- 
rias.  The  whole  country  covered  with  a  thick  matting  of 
grasses  is  a  paradise  for  cattle.  Land  is  inexpensive,  the 
pasturage  is  better  than  in  Argentina,  and  more  stock  can 
be  raised  to  the  acre.  Here  and  in  Matto  Grosso,  a  future 
stock  country,  the  grazing  lands  come  down  to  the  great 
waterways,  and  although  the  river  boats  are  of  low  draught 
necessitating  a  rehandling  at  the  seaport  towns,  canned 
beef  can  be  shipped  direct  from  the  saladerias  in  the  stock 
country. 

Tannin  is  a  more  staple  industry  than  in  Argentina 
although  it  is  still  in  embryo.  The  writer  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  engage  in  this  manufacture,  which  he  nearly 
took  up ;  in  ordinary  times  it  would  have  been  all  right,  but 
at  this  particular  time  there  was  a  change  in  Paraguayan 
politics  and  the  manufacture  of  tannic  acid  was  handi- 
capped by  the  European  War.  A  Barcelona  Spaniard, 
Sefior  Andres  Pujol,  president  of  the  Banco  Constructador 
del  Paraguay  and  a  friend  of  the  writer,  was  held  in  high 
esteem  by  the  then  dictator,  Sehor  Eduardo  Schaerer. 
One  of  the  large  brick  buildings  owned  by  the  Hernanda- 
rias  and  Frias  Brewery  at  Puerto  Sajonia,  on  the  outskirts 
of  Asuncion,  was  vacated  in  favor  of  a  modern  brewery 
plant  in  the  city.  Its  machinery  could  be  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  tannic  acid  and  the  plant  could  have  been 


512  Journeys  and  Experiences 

bought  for  a  song.  It  was  the  idea  of  Sefior  Pujol  for  he 
and  myself  to  buy  this  building  and  erect,  in  connection 
with  it,  a  sawmill.  We  were  to  pay  for  quebracho  logs 
delivered  at  the  plant  from  which  we  were  to  strip  the 
bark,  from  which  we  were  to  extract  the  tannin.  At  that 
time  Asuncion  was  having  most  of  its  new  streets  paved 
with  quebracho  blocks.  We  were  to  give  Senor  Schaerer 
stock  in  the  company  and  in  return  he  was  to  give  us  a 
franchise  to  furnish  the  paving  material  which  we  would 
manufacture  by  cutting  up  the  logs  at  the  sawmill.  We 
were  also  to  be  exempt  from  taxes  for  a  number  of  years. 
Soon  after  this  Schaerer  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency 
by  Dr.  Manuel  Franco,  a  native,  and  it  was  likely  that  he 
would  undo  everything  that  Schaerer  did,  in  which  case 
our  franchise  would  not  amount  to  a  picayune.  This  com- 
bined with  the  present  prospects  of  no  shipment  of  tannic 
acid  to  foreign  parts  caused  me  not  to  inaugurate  this 
enterprise,  which  will  still  be  open  to  anybody.  The  best 
time  to  start  this  is  soon  after  the  election  of  a  popular 
president,  because  in  the  four  years  during  which  he  will 
hold  office,  there  will  be  plenty  of  time  in  which  to  ac- 
cumulate a  fortune. 

The  future  manufacturing  and  commercial  opportuni- 
ties in  Chile  is  utterly  different  and  far  brighter  than  in 
any  other  South  American  country.  Chile  has  a  decidedly 
bright  future  and  at  the  present  time  only  lacks  capital 
to  develop  her  resources.  Business  conditions  are  much 
better;  there  is  more  snap  to  her  people;  there  is  less  graft 
and  it  is  a  cheaper  country  to  live  in.  To  this  is  added 
the  fact  that  the  climate  is  good.  Topographically  and 
geographically  this  republic  can  be  divided  mto  three 
distinct  zones.  Beginning  at  its  extreme  north  and 
running  down  the  coast  one-third  of  its  whole  longitude 
is  the  rainless  zone.     This  is  a  vast  forbidding  desert. 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile   513 

interspersed  at  varying  distances  by  a  few  oases.  The 
mountains  begin  at  the  ocean  and  gradually  rise  in  steep 
ranges  until  a  maximum  of  twenty  thousand  feet  is 
attained  in  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  at  the  eastern 
boundary  which  is  the  Argentine  frontier.  Twenty  miles 
back  from  the  ocean  are  plateaus  averaging  from  two 
thousand  to  five  thousand  feet  high  which  furnish  most 
of  the  world's  nitrate  supply.  This  nitrate  is  from  two 
to  six  feet  underneath  the  surface  of  the  soil  and  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  manure  of  birds  that  infested  this  region 
in  pre-glacial  periods.  From  these  fields  is  derived  much 
of  the  wealth  of  the  country.  Many  of  the  older  nitrate 
fields  have  become  exhausted,  especially  those  farthest 
north  on  the  Iquique  Pampa,  but  new  ones  are  constantly 
being  opened  up  to  the  south  of  the  old  workings  and  from 
them  is  due  the  importance  of  Antofagasta.  It  was  to 
acquire  these  nitrate  deposits  that  Chile  declared  war  upon 
Bolivia  and  Peru  in  1879  which  caused  them  to  change 
hands.  It  is  a  blessing  to  that  part  of  the  country  that  it 
never  rains,  because  if  it  did,  the  nitrate  deposits  would  be 
washed  away.     This  zone  is  hot. 

The  second  zone  is  that  which  begins  immediately  south 
of  the  rainless  one  and  which  extends  another  third  of  the 
length  of  the  country  down  the  coast.  It  consists  of  a 
coast  range  of  mountains  timbered  with  conifers  and  small 
hardwood  trees,  the  mountain  peaks  rarely  rising  above 
three  thousand  feet  in  altitude.  Beyond  them  is  the 
great  longitudinal  valley  from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  in 
width.  Here  are  situated  most  of  the  towns  and  two 
thirds  of  the  country's  population.  This  is  the  gran- 
ary of  the  republic,  and  it  is  here  that  are  located  the 
great  vineyards,  the  fruit  farms,  and  the  small  manu- 
facturing industries.  This  zone  has  a  sufficiency  of 
annual  precipitation  but  climatically  is  divided  into  two 


514  Journeys  and  Experiences 

seasons,  the  dry  and  the  rainy  one.  During  the  winter 
months  from  May  to  October  there  are  frequent  rains 
while  tne  rest  of  the  year  it  seldom  rains,  although 
showers  are  likely  to  occur  at  any  time,  these  being  of  more 
frequent  prevalence  the  farther  south  one  goes. 

The  remaining  zone  which  reaches  the  remaining  dis- 
tance of  the  coast  line  as  far  as  Cape  Horn  is  an  archipelago 
and  a  narrow  strip  of  land  extending  inland  about  fifty 
miles  to  the  Argentine  frontier.  This  district  is  a  moun- 
tainous mass,  indented  by  many  bays  and  fiords,  well 
timbered,  but  so  steep  are  the  mountains  that  come  down 
to  the  water's  edge  that  there  are  no  towns  and  but  few 
places  where  habitations  can  be  built.  A  great  part  of 
this  region  is  unexplored.  It  undoubtedly  is  rich  in  min- 
eral deposits  but  its  inaccessibility  has  kept  it  from  being 
developed.  The  annual  rainfall  is  great  but  this  di- 
minishes towards  the  southern  apex.  In  winter  there  are 
heavy  snowfalls,  while  the  tops  of  the  mountains  possess 
innumerable  glaciers. 

Chile  is  rich  in  minerals.  Some  of  its  mines  have  been 
worked  ever  since  the  Spanish  conquest  and  new  fields  are 
constantly  being  opened.  In  the  arid  north  copper  is 
found  behind  Gatico  and  at  Chuquicamata,  the  Guggen- 
heim interests  being  at  the  latter  place.  There  are  copper 
mines  in  the  provinces  of  Atacama,  and  Coquimbo,  and 
at  the  headwaters  of  the  Cauquenes  River  in  the  Province 
of  Colchagua  is  the  large  productive  mine  of  the  Braden 
Copper  Compan)".  There  are  iron  mines  at  La  Higuera 
in  the  Province  of  Coquimbo  and  coal  mines  at  Lota,  in  the 
Province  of  Concepcion.  Silver  and  gold  is  found  through- 
out the  whole  republic  in  paying  quantities.  Next  to 
nitrate  and  minerals,  vineyards  pla\'  the  most  important 
part.  From  the  Province  of  Aconcagua  southward  250 
miles,  grapes  play  a  great   role,   yet   but  little  wine  is 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    5^5 

exported.  The  southern  provinces  and  the  Central  Valley 
produce  an  abundance  of  wheat,  rye,  and  barley,  but  owing 
to  an  inadequate  market,  it  is  a  gamble  whether  the  farmer 
will  lose  or  make  a  profit  on  his  crops. 

What  Chile  needs  more  than  capital  is  immigration. 
Her  increase  in  population  has  been  small,  likewise  her 
immigration.  The  European  immigrant  lands  at  Buenos 
Aires  and  seeks  employment  in  Argentina,  w^hile  if  he 
crossed  the  Andes  into  Chile,  he  would  find  a  land  where 
he  could  make  a  better  living  for  himself  and  buy  some  of 
the  most  fertile  land  in  this  universe  for  a  cheap  price. 
Southern  Chile  has  a  large  population  of  German  descent 
who  have  done  remarkably  well,  but  the  great  number  of 
Spaniards  and  Italians  who  yearly  immigrate  to  the  repub- 
lics of  South  America's  eastern  littoral  are  here  conspicu- 
ous by  their  absence. 

In  manufactures,  the  breweries  are  Chile's  largest 
industry.  There  is  a  brewery  trust  in  Chile,  like  in 
Argentina,  but  it  is  nowhere  near  so  strong  nor  so  well 
capitalized.  It  consists  of  La  Calera  Brewery  at  La 
Calera,  the  Valdivia  Breweries  Company  at  Valdivia,  the 
Andres  Ebner  Brewery  at  Santiago,  the  Floto  Brewery  at 
La  Serena  and  the  Limache-Cousiho  Brewery  at  Limache, 
which  is  the  largest  in  Chile.  A  fact  which  shows  that 
the  trust  is  not  strong  is  that  all  the  independent  breweries 
have  done  well.  Aubel's  Brewery  at  Osorno,  and  Keller's 
Breweries  at  Concepcion  and  Talca  are  large  ones.  There 
are  many  small  breweries  such  as  Petersen's  at  Punta 
Arenas,  Julius  Jenson's  at  Chilian,  and  Horstmann's 
at  wSantiago.  Much  beer  is  drunk  in  Chile,  and  there  is 
plenty  of  grain,  so  after  the  war  there  will' be  an  excellent 
opportunity  of  starting  a  brewery.  The  only  drawback 
has  been  the  supply  of  malt  and  hops  which  comes  from 
foreign  countries  and  which  the  brewers  have  been  unable 


51 6      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

to  procure  in  sufficient  quantities    in  recent  years  owing 
to  the  freight  shortage. 

Santiago  is  a  city  of  over  four  hundred  thousand  inhabi- 
tants yet  only  has  two  breweries,  that  of  Ebner  which 
belongs  to  the  trust  and  that  of  Horstmann  which  does 
not.  Horstmann  before  the  war  got  a  supply  of  hops  large 
enough  to  last  him  six  years  if  his  brewery  ran  at  its  full 
capacity.  He  is  an  old  man  who  has  amassed  all  the 
money  he  wants,  and  his  heirs  have  no  inclination  to  con- 
tinue the  business.  In  1917  he  could  have  been  bought 
out  at  a  very  reasonable  price  and  I  believe  the  same  holds 
true  to-day.  His  business  has  been  a  family  trade  and  his 
beer  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  Chile.  Since  there  is  small 
likelihood  of  Chile  ever  going  prohibition,  here  is  a  chance 
for  somebody.  Valpaariso  has  no  brewery  on  account 
of  its  water  being  too  hard.  T  have  no  doubt  but  that  a 
brewery  at  either  Chilian,  which  has  only  one  small 
brewery,  or  at  Curico  which  has  no  brewery,  would  pay. 
Temuco,  Los  Angeles,  San  Fernando,  and  Linares  could 
support  breweries.  In  northern  Chile  there  are  no  brew- 
eries excepting  one  at  La  Serena,  yet  either  Antofagasta  or 
Iquique  would  be  ideal  spots  for  one.  The  water  in  these 
cities  has  to  be  piped  in  from  a  distance  of  150  miles,  yet 
since  there  is  sufficient  to  supply  other  establishments 
there  would  be  enough  to  supply  breweries.  Copiapo 
is  likewise  well  situated  for  a  brewery.  It  could  be  made 
the  central  distributing  point  for  other  towns  such  as 
Antofagasta,  Taltal,  Chanaral,  Vallenar,  and  Huasco. 
The  output  could  be  shipped  to  its  seaport  Caldera,  and 
thence  along  the  coast  to  the  other  towns  in  case  of  a 
shortage  of  freight  cars.  In  Chile  as  in  the  United  States 
the  breweries  buy  saloon  licenses  to  put  into  business 
men  who  handle  only  their  goods,  but  unlike  in  the  United 
States,   saloons  play  no   part   in   politics,   and   with  the 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile     517 

exception  of  the  sailors'  dives  in  the  seaports  they  are  run 
in  strict  accordance  with  the  law.  The  violations  that  I 
have  mentioned  in  this  book  occurred  in  Antofagasta 
which  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  notoriously  tough  town. 

A  business  with  a  future  and  which  could  be  made 
profitable  is  an  enamel  works  and  tin-ware  factory.  In 
all  South  America,  business  signs,  doctors'  signs,  street 
names,  and  house  numbers  are  of  enamelled  tin.  Most 
of  the  kitchen  ware,  bathtubs,  and  chamber  sets  are  of  the 
same  article.  There  is  an  enamel  ware  works  at  Val- 
paraiso and  another  one  at  Santiago.  The  latter  is  the 
Esmaltadera  Chilena,  managed  by  Don  Federigo  Reddo- 
ehl.  This  would  be  a  paying  proposition  but  so  far  lacks 
capital.  The  heaviest  interest  is  owned  by  a  senator 
named  Charme,  but  the  other  stockholders  could  be 
bought  out  at  par.  Chile  is  dependent  upon  the  United 
States  for  its  sheet-iron  and  tin  supply ;  the  w^ar  has  put  a 
damper  on  this,  but  as  soon  as  shipments  can  be  renewed, 
there  is  no  reason  why  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  would 
not  be  a  good  investment. 

Unfortunately  Chile's  timber  is  hardwood,  so  lumber 
mills  would  not  pay.  It  is  dependent  on  its  lumber  for 
building  purposes  from  the  United  States.  Although 
there  is  much  hardwood,  the  floors  are  tile  or  cement, 
which  is  much  cheaper  there  than  oak  or  maple,  and  since 
the  ordinary  pocket-book  cannot  aflord  to  pay  the  price 
of  the  latter,  a  hardwood  flooring  plant  would  be  negative. 

In  the  south  there  are  plenty  of  small  flour  mills  but 
there  are  but  few  in  the  Central  Valley.  Since  much  grain 
goes  to  waste  and  since  flour  is  in  demand,  more  of  these 
small  mills  could  be  started,  but  none  of  the  cities  near  to 
the  grain  supply  are  large  enough  to  warrant  large  mills. 

Chile  is  not  a  stock  country.  Cattle  are  dear,  likewise 
the  hides.     Therefore  a  shoe  factory  would  not  pa}'. 


51 8  Journe}  s  and  Experiences 

The  railroads  of  the  Central  \'alley  are  owned  by  the 
state  and  do  not  pay  on  account  of  it.  The  personnel  is 
large  and  is  made  up  entirely  of  political  henchmen  of  the 
senators  and  congressmen.  The  government  reahzes  this 
and  there  has  been  talk  of  renting  the  lines  or  selling  them 
to  private  companies.  This  would  be  good  sense.  This 
Central  ^'alley  is  crossed  lengthwise  by  one  main  trunk- 
line  touching  at  the  important  towns.  From  these  at 
right  angles  run  branch  lines  to  places  of  minor  import- 
ance. Yet  so  thickly  settled  is  this  valle\',  and  so  pro- 
ductive is  it,  that  another  parallel  line  from  Santiago  to 
Concepcion,  touching  points  not  on  the  government  rail- 
way, could  possibly  be  made  to  pay  a  profit.  From  Talca 
it  could  run  southwestward  through  San  Javier,  and 
Cauquenes  crossing  the  coast  range  between  Quirihue  and 
Coelemu  at  no  perceptibly  steep  grade,  opening  up  a  new 
country,  and  saving  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles 
betw^een  the  terminals.  The  country  is  mostly  level  and 
there  would  be  no  difficult  engineering  feats.  The  railroad 
from  Santiago  to  Valparaiso  is  a  roundabout  one  and  crosses 
the  steep  mountain  pass  of  Tiltil.  For  3^ears  it  has  been 
talked  of  to  shorten  this  line  making  it  go  through  Casa 
Blanca,  but  the  government  has  had  no  money  for  expendi- 
tures of  such  a  sort.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  it  would 
give  a  private  company  a  concession  if  it  meant  business. 
An  intcrurban  electric  line  between  these  two  large  cities 
might  pay.  It  would  be  eighty-five  miles  long  and  would 
also  oi)en  up  a  new  country. 

Chile  is  in  need  of  many  first-class  modern  hotels  built 
on  the  North  American  style,  but  not  cramped  for  room 
like  in  the  United  States,  and  with  the  guests'  rooms  large 
enough  for  comfort.  Santiago,  Valparaiso,  and  Concep- 
cion have  good  hotels,  but  in  the  other  cities  they  are  poor. 
It  would  not  pay  a  North  American  to  build  a  hotel  south 


In  Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile    519 

of  Concepcion  because  in  that  region  German  influence 
predominates,  and  in  many  places  the  German  population 
outnumbers  that  of  the  native.  For  years  to  come  after 
the  war  the  North  American  would  be  boycotted  there. 
Antofagasta  opens  an  excellent  field  in  the  hotel  line. 
There  are  four  hotels  there  where  it  is  possible  to  sleep 
and  eat,  but  they  fall  much  below  the  standard  for  such  a 
busy  port.  The  trade  is  evenly  divided  between  them, 
but  an  up-to-date  hostelry  could  easily  shift  that  to  them- 
selves. Arica  is  badly  ofi:  in  the  hotel  line.  This  is  the 
port  of  La  Paz,  Bolivia,  and  traveling  men  to  and  from 
that  city  are  often  obliged  to  put  in  a  few  days  in  this  most 
northern  seaport  of  Chile  while  waiting  for  their  steamer. 
Coquimbo,  Talca,  and  Chilian  need  modern  hotels,  as 
well  as  Los  Andes.  The  latter  town  which  has  a  popu- 
lation of  8097  is  important  because  it  is  the  jumping- 
ofi^  place  for  Argentina.  The  narrow-gauge  railroad 
from  there  to  Mendoza  is  of  such  a  nature  that  the 
trip  has  to  be  made  in  daylight  on  account  of  curves, 
bridges,  and  steep  gradients  which  would  be  dangerous 
to  traverse  at  night.  Passengers  en  route  for  Argentina 
leave  Santiago  and  Valparaiso  in  the  evening  arriving  at 
Los  Andes  at  night  where  they  stop  over,  and  continue 
the  next  morning.  The  train  coming  from  Argentina 
arrives  at  Los  Andes  at  night  and  as  it  is  sometimes  late, 
passengers  prefer  to  stop  over  there,  continuing  to  Santi- 
ago in  the  morning,  rather  than  to  change  trains  and 
arrive  at  Santiago  at  an  unseemly  hour.  The  only  hotel 
fit  to  stop  at  in  Los  Andes  is  the  poor  one  owned  by 
the  Transandine  Railway,  and  it  is  nearly  always  over- 
crowded. It  is  a  flimsy  frame  structure,  dirty,  and  with 
poor  service.  It  is  some  distance  from  the  main  part  of 
the  city,  but  another  hotel  built  in  its  neighborhood  would 
catch  all  the  transient  trade,  because  most  of  it  focuses 


520      Argentina,  Paraguay,  and  Chile 

there  instead  of  in  the  town.  Rancagua  has  a  floating 
population  comprised  of  the  mining  element  from  the 
Braden  Copper  Company.  Many  of  these  are  North 
Americans  and  Canadians,  and  every  day  some  of  them 
are  obliged  to  stop  overnight  at  Rancagua  to  get  a  train 
out  the  following  day.  Also  Rancagua  is  the  station  for 
the  Baths  of  Cauquenes  to  which  there  is  constant  journe}^- 
ing  to  and  fro  during  the  summer  season.  The  city  has  a 
population  of  10,380  irrespective  of  transient  trade  with 
no  hotel  fit  to  stop  at. 


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